Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand up in the House today and honour eight-year-old Ben Caprio from Oshawa.
This past Sunday evening, Ben faced a very frightening situation when his father, Tony, collapsed from a severe epileptic seizure. Ben's mother, Lori, had gone to work, and it was up to Ben to help save his father's life. When describing the event, Ben said,“I was feeling panicky because my mom wasn't there. She taught me you can call 911. You don't have to be afraid”.
Despite his fear, Ben dialed 911 and directed emergency services to his south Oshawa home and stayed on the line with the attendant until they arrived. Durham police who listened to the 911 recording commented on how calm Ben was during the call. They described Ben's call as sounding as if he was talking to his friends. Because of Ben's composure, his father Tony is alive today.
After the frightening event, Tony said of Ben, “I'm really proud of him. No one could ask for a better son”.
Ben's calmness and swift action in such a frightening situation is an inspiration to all of Oshawa. I would like to ask everyone here to stand with me today to honour Ben for his heroic actions.