Heroic Tempe student honored for helping mother during seizure

TEMPE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- A Tempe student was awarded on Friday for his heroic actions that saved his mother’s life. Jaelen Demoss, a fifth-grade student at Scales Technology Academy, was given a Citizen Award of Merit at the school assembly.

Jaelen was praised for his quick thinking when his mother, Lindsay Ruiz-Jensen, had a seizure at their home on July 10. Jaelen, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, was brave enough to dial 911 and explain the situation to the dispatcher. Emergency crews arrived and quickly helped his mother. “Jaelen showed a high level of bravery and care for others with his actions that day,” said a Tempe fire official.

Ruiz-Jensen says she lives with long COVID and has epilepsy and seizures. The day Jaelen called 911, she was having several seizures repeatedly. “I was unconscious, so he tried to call family first. When he couldn’t get in touch with family, he decided to call 911. He followed dispatcher instruction to a tee and was able to keep the door unlocked, get the address and wait for first response, which we are really proud of him for doing.” Ruiz-Jensen said. “He felt very proud of his actions. He got to ride in the ambulance with me, and he got a lot of high-fives and a lot of praise from the fire department.”

Classmates, staff and parents flooded the gym to watch Jaelen receive his award. He and his classmates even checked out a fire truck and met Tempe firefighters!

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.