WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — We all may think we're brave, but not many of us can say we've been put to the test.
One 8-year-old can, though.
Braxton Lowe is hailed as a hero by his whole town.
He's even got the very first honorary junior officer award and badge the city's ever issued, according to the city's police chief, because saving a life is no small feat.
Braxton is a down-to-earth and humble young man.
Like many kids his age, he picks out his breakfast as he gets ready for school.
He helps his little brother, Bryson Lowe, make waffles while Braxton enjoys his pop tarts with the crusts cut off.
That keeps them fueled up to battle Sonic against Knuckles and get loose to dance!
Braxton's a third grader at Westside Elementary School; his favorite after-school activity is dancing with his "Boys II Men" dance group.
He was born on June 15, 2015.
Bryson is only 340 days younger than him, born almost a year later on May 20.
You could almost say they're twins, though, from watching them follow each other around the house in matching clothes.
Unlike other 8-year-olds, though, Braxton's a hero.
"My son literally saved my life," Doris Smith said. "I could've been gone."
Last September, Braxton's mom wasn't feeling very well, so she said she went to the doctor.
"They diagnosed me with allergy problems," Smith said.
"I know I didn't have allergy problems," mom continued.
She went to work on Monday, Sept. 11. because she said, she was able to "still kinda function."
On Tuesday, Sept. 12, Smith wasn't feeling any better while helping the kids get ready for school, though.
Smith said her father helps her care for her sons, but he was on an errand that morning.
"I was feeling weak because I packed their lunch," Smith said." I was like, "Bracky, I don't feel well.'"
She continued, "I had passed out on top of the stairs earlier, so I said, 'Bracky, if mommy passes out again, call 911.' Within 5 to 10 minutes later, I was passed out, right there on the floor."
Braxton remembers the moment.
"She was passing out, and I called 911. and the police and the ambulance came," he recalled.
"He remained on the phone with 911 center up to the point where the first responders arrived on scene," Warner Robins Police Chief Wayne Fisher said.
Fisher said he credits the Houston County 911 center for bringing Braxton's bravery to his department's attention.
Braxton's cleverness came in handy, too.
He said he could call 911 from his mom's phone because "I know her password."
Chief Fisher said it's important to keep in mind that you have the ability to call for local emergency services on most smartphones nowadays.
"Regardless of any cellphone, whether it's got a security feature or not for locking it out, you'll have the 911 capability to dial 911," Fisher said.
For iPhones, you can simultaneously hold down the lock and volume buttons for the SOS call to pop up.
For Androids, you can hold the power button down for the message to appear.
But Braxton's silly secret that he kept from Mom by "looking over her shoulder" saved her life.
"I woke up outside, in the ambulance on the stretcher in the sheet, and I was shaking," Smith remembers.
"They took my temperature inside. They said, 'Oh God, your temperature's 107. Are you okay?" I don't know what's wrong with me! They said I was having allergy problems. I get to the hospital-- you got COVID-- HUH? Where'd I get COVID from?" she said.
Apparently, Smith said, that was her second bout with COVID.
She said she was on bed rest for the next ten days.
Braxton said he remembers the first responders trying to help him and his brother finish getting ready for the day so their grandpa could take them to school.
He said he remembered his grandpa and teachers were calling and checking on his mom for him and his brother while they were at school.
Mom said she's thinking about getting little Braxton his own phone for his birthday this year.
He's also got the whole town hailing him as a hero.
The City of Warner Robins and the police department celebrated Braxton with an honorary junior officer badge for his heroic actions.
Chief Fisher said Braxton's the first junior officer in the city!
"It speaks volumes to the impact and investment that both the mother and the family have made in Braxton," Fisher said.