LORAIN, Ohio — On most summer days, you can find 11-year-old Javoni Cordona on the front porch of his neighbor, Kim Dembeck's house.
He and the other neighborhood kids stop there frequently for ice cream.
The visits feel a little different to Javoni, though. His bond with "Miss Kim" runs deep.
"Him and my husband were best buddies. We lost him a couple years ago," Kim told us. "My husband was a double amputee and in a wheelchair, so daily, (Javoni) would watch for him to open the garage door. He knew Sam was up and it was time to go."
Upon remembering, Javoni quietly said of Kim's husband, Sam, "He was my best friend."
Having a great neighbor is a gift. Having one that is family is a blessing. You know that whenever you need them, they'll be there.
Last month, Javoni stopped at "Miss Kim's" house for a treat. When he got to her house and heard her dog "Shadow" barking, he knew something wasn't right.
Peering into her house, he was alarmed "She was unconscious," Javoni said.
He quickly ran a few doors down to get his mom.
"He said, 'Well, she's not answering me. I'm smacking her ... yelling. She's not answering me,'" Jacqueline Cordona, Javoni's mom said.
Wasting no time, Javoni called 9-1-1.
"Please hurry ...hurry!" he told the 9-1-1 operator.
"Police, fire or ambulance? the operator asked.
"Ambulance! Ambulance!" Javoni said.
Unbeknownst to Javoni and his mom, Kim had inadvertently taken a dangerous cocktail of meds: Her regular medicine for back problems and treatment for bronchitis.
"I remember swallowing the pills and then that's it. I woke up in the hospital," Kim said.
Jacqueline thought she might lose her.
"I for sure thought that if they didn't hurry, if they didn't hurry, like, I didn't know how much time she had left," Jacqueline said.
Without Javoni's instincts, Miss Kim may not be here.
"They told me, 'That little boy saved your life,'" Javoni said.
It's hard for Javoni to to relive that day, or talk about it. That's ok. Because when Miss Kim needed him, he was there.
"So proud. He makes me proud every day," Javoni's mom said.
"He knows I love him so much. Always be my hero," Kim said of Javoni.
There's an important lesson here: Love your neighbors ... it just may save a life.
Editor's Note: The following video is from an unrelated story in September 2020.
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