Minnesota Officer Escorts Girl to First Day of Kindergarten 5 Years After Saving Her Life
A little girl from Wayzata, Minnesota and a Minnesota state trooper share a special bond. No, the trooper isn't one of her parents, but he was special enough that he escorted this 5-year-old to her first day of kindergarten. That's because about 5 years earlier this state trooper helped save her life.
The little girl is Elise Lonsbury, and when she was 6 weeks old her mom was rushing her to the hospital when Elise went unconscious, according to KARE 11. Her mom was pulled over on the side of I-394 trying to save her daughter when luckily a nurse, Virginia Marsh, on her way to work and a state trooper, Lt. Paul Stricker, pulled over to help.
Thankfully, the two were able to work "together to keep Elise alive until an ambulance arrived." It turns out that Elise had contracted a virus which caused her breathing problems. She did make a full recovery and is now off to kindergarten this year!
Lt. Stricker and Elise's mom keep in touch, he even sent a letter to Elise one year after the incident along with a necklace with a mini version of his badge on it. Elise loves the necklace and even wore it to her first day of school, which Lt. Stricker escorted her to.
It was originally brought up by Elise's mom a little as a joke, according to KARE 11, but Lt. Stricker said he'd make himself available. The nurse, Virginia, was also asked to escort Elise but she wasn't able to make it happen.
So on the first day of kindergarten, Elise walked into school hand-in-hand with the state trooper who saved her life 5 years ago. A super special moment and I'm sure Elise and Lt. Stricker will make even more memories down the road together!