Baldwin girl honored for saving her father
Kaidence Henry, of Baldwin, helped her father, Kaius, get immediate medical attention after he collapsed at home this summer. Credit: Nakia Henry
Kaidence Henry didn’t hesitate when her dad collapsed in their family’s house this summer.
The Baldwin girl, 11, was home alone with her father, Kaius, who had been battling food poisoning for multiple days in July after eating at a local establishment. Kaius, 41, had already been to a local hospital where he was given fluids and discharged before taking a turn for the worse on the morning of July 31, according to his wife, Nakia.
Kaidence, a sixth-grade student at Baldwin Middle School, said she was watching a movie in the next room when she suddenly heard a loud noise.
“I was eating and watching a movie and I just remember hearing this big thump, and then I ran to the door and I saw my dad collapsed on the floor,” said Kaidence, explaining that her reaction was to follow what she had seen actors do on medical television shows. “I tried to keep calm, since I know that the nurses and doctors have to keep calm so they don’t get nervous, because that can affect the work on their patient. But I felt a little nervous, because I knew this was something serious.”
Kaidence said she tried to shake and wake her father before calling 911 and following the instructions relayed to her by the dispatcher — such as making sure her father was lying on his back and administering CPR, which she said she had learned in school. An ambulance arrived about 10 minutes later and transported Kaius to Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, where he stayed for10 days, according to Nakia.
Doctors told Kaius his prolonged bout with food poisoning likely led to a vascular rupture and a major gastrointestinal bleed, which could potentially have had life-threatening consequences. He also suffered a hematoma due to his right leg being "twisted" during the fall, he said.
“When I went into the house, he was doubled over and sweating profusely,” said Nakia, who arrived shortly before the ambulance after her daughter informed her of her husband’s condition. “He was in and out of consciousness. It was pretty scary to see that.”
Kaius praised his daughter for her quick-thinking efforts that potentially saved his life.
“We joked around about it afterwards, but she is just that caring kind of person,” he said. “I didn’t expect her to go the lengths that she did.”
Kaidence was later recognized for her “display of exemplary action and service to others” with a citation from Assemb. Judy Griffin (D-Rockville Centre).
“I feel very grateful,” Kaidence said of her father’s recovery. “I am just glad that I was able to be there.”
Nominate a Long Islander who goes above and beyond or serves as an inspiration to their community. Send details and photograph to Michael Ebert, michael.ebert@newsday.com (photos should be high-resolution). Photos may be used in other publications affiliated with Newsday.
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
