[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12620]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



              EIGHT-YEAR-OLD SHOWS COURAGE UNDER PRESSURE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HOWARD COBLE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 28, 2001

  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, the words courageous and heroic are sometimes 
used without thought or care. In the Sixth District of North Carolina, 
however, those adjectives and more should be applied to one of our 
young citizens who bravely came to his mother's rescue. For his 
efforts, eight-year-old Michael Mathis from Denton, North Carolina, was 
recently awarded the North Carolina 911 hero award, and he was 
recognized by the National Emergency Number Association. Young Michael 
was caught in a terrible predicament, which required him to show great 
courage while under severe pressure. Michael didn't let his young age 
hold him back from stepping up to save the life of his mother.
  On February 6, 2001, Michael was riding with his mother Cathy Surratt 
on a road near High Point. Michael's mother suffers from a thyroid 
condition and she has constant migraine headaches. During the course of 
the drive, Cathy began to see swirls in her eyes, pulled to the side of 
the road, then lost consciousness. Michael immediately got out his 
mother's cell phone in order to call his stepfather, but unfortunately 
the phone went dead, due to the fact that their minutes had expired. 
Knowing that a call to 911 was free, he then called the emergency 
number for help. Michael tried to tell the dispatcher where they were 
located, but with only trees and grass visible, he was only certain 
that they were on Highway 109.
  Shortly after that, the car, which was a stick shift, began to roll 
forward. Michael's voice suddenly turned to panic, and he pleaded with 
the dispatcher to have someone find them. The dispatcher instructed him 
to take the key out of the ignition. Though he was overcome with fear, 
Michael managed to get the key out, and the car stopped. The dispatcher 
told Michael to honk the horn and flash the lights in the hope that a 
passing car would stop. Michael quickly complied with the dispatcher's 
orders. Finally, a car stopped, and to his good fortune, the passengers 
in the car were an emergency worker and a trained nurse. When Michael's 
stepfather arrived, the car was surrounded by people who were there to 
help. Cathy Surratt was taken to an area hospital where she was 
successfully treated and released.
  The Davidson County Sheriff's Department named Michael a 911 hero, 
and he was awarded a plaque at a special ceremony. This week, the 
National Emergency Number Association recognized Michael at its 20th 
annual conference, along with other National 911 heroes. I am very 
pleased to be able to recognize Michael as one of our North Carolina 
911 heroes. On behalf of the citizens of the Sixth District of North 
Carolina, we offer our personal congratulations to Michael Mathis--a 
true hero.

                          ____________________