Firefighter steps up with wholesome gesture towards kids after distressed mom is taken to the hospital

As noted in several studies, some guardians find the whole process of "parenting" frustrating. Many do not receive the help they need with their children and feel overburdened. To relieve parents from mental exhaustion and further stress, some firefighters in Los Banos, California are showing how society can show up for them when they are in need, as reported by The Washington Post.

They went beyond their duties and took care of the children who were shaken because of their mother's vertigo. The firefighters put the children's minds at ease and ensured they were properly looked after till their father arrived. Karen Garcia, the mother, was thankful to the firefighters for showing so much care and protecting her children.

Karen Garcia, a mother of three, was pregnant for a fourth time. During her pregnancy, she often got bouts of vertigo, but with the help of prescribed medications, she had it in control. On October 19, her condition got worse. "Everything was turning. It was terrible," she told the publication. "It was a very strong vertigo episode that I hadn't experienced in a long time." Her husband had already left for his work in San Francisco. Her children, aged 11, 9 and 8, were asleep. She took her medications but was unable to keep them down and began vomiting profusely.

By the time her children woke up, Garcia was in a distressing condition. "I had no strength in my body left," Garcia said. "I was on my bathroom floor." She decided to call 911 and her children hopped on to give the dispatcher all the details. Soon, a team of Emergency Responders arrived to help Garcia, which included Brian Thompson, a captain with the Los Banos Fire Department. They quickly arranged for an ambulance that took Garcia to the Memorial Hospital Los Banos Emergency Department.

The team then turned their focus toward the children who were disturbed by what they had witnessed. "They were definitely worried about mom," Thompson said. "They were distraught." The firefighters decided to wait with the kids and informed their father that they would look after them till their uncle arrived. Thompson assured him they would "treat them like they're ours." While talking about his call, Thompson, himself a father, said, "I would hope that somebody would do that for my children and for my wife. It really does take a village. We all have to look out for one another."

Thompson asked the children about their morning routine. They talked to him about how they ate breakfast as a family. So, he fixed them orange juice and then began making breakfast with them. "I got them involved to take out the toaster, the sugar and the cinnamon," he said. "They helped me make them cinnamon sugar toast." The kids soon began to lighten up and showed firefighters all of their toys. Thompson was happy that the team was able to remove some tension about their mother from the minds of the children. After giving them breakfast, the firefighters got their bags packed for school. The team then got another emergency call and reinstated a Police Officer in their place to look after the children. He watched cartoons with them till Garcia's brother came to take over the children.

Garcia is now safe and outside the hospital. Her family has put a plan in place, where one member will stay with her all the time, to stop a repeat of such an incident. She thanked the firefighters for keeping an eye on her children and keeping them safe. "I couldn't have asked for a better crew to show up," she said. "I'm so grateful." She also left a comment on the department's social media page, expressing her gratitude: "You guys are amazing and I thank you so much for taking care of my babies in one of scariest days of my life! They told me all about it when I got home and my heart was filled with so much gratefulness."