CEDAR FALLS - She could hear her son's voice, frantically calling her name.

But no matter how she tried, Tamara Meadows could not open her eyes and respond.

She knew she needed to. She knew her current condition was scaring her 5-year-old son. It had to be, it was scaring her.

After living with diabetes for 35 years Meadows worst fears were coming true. Her son was seeing her at her worst - in the middle of an insulin reaction - and he was the only one who could save her.

Cassel Meadows had been trained to call 911, but on this particular morning he chose not to. Instead, he ran to the kitchen and grabbed a juice container from the refrigerator, popped off the top and rushed the squeezy container back to his mother. He got her awake just enough to drink half of the bottle, which started the slow process of raising her blood sugar levels.

Tamara Meadows now says that decision likely saved her life.

"Had he called 911, with the time it would have taken them to get here and treat me, I don't think I would have made it," Tamara said.

That all happened on Dec. 21. Tamara Meadows is still absolutely astounded by her son's reaction every time she tells the story. She always knew her son was smart - he'd been asking questions about her insulin pump and glucose pills since he was 2 - but she never imagined he could keep such a level-head in such a stressful situation.

When asked if he knew what he had done, Cassel simply replied "I did what I had to do."

"I was just unbelievably floored," Tamara said. "He's seen his daddy treat me and we've talked about what he should do if he is unable to give me something, but I was still so shocked because he is just 5. There are some adults who wouldn't have been able to stay cool in that situation."

Heather Benson, a pediatric ARNP at Covenant Medical Center, said the point when adults should begin teaching children about how to respond in emergency situations depents on each family. Some children are ready to learn about dialing 911 as early as 3, others may be 4 or 5 years old. She continued that is also an appropriate time to begin educating young children about any potential medical concerns in the family, such as diabetes or epilepsy.

"It is a good idea, in very simple and concrete terms, to explain ways they can help. A detailed medical description is not necessary," she said. "Children are perceptive, and not telling them may just raise more questions in their minds. Being honest with your children is important at all ages."

For now, Cassel has returned to being a typical 5-year-old boy, watching "Toy Story" and playing with paper airplanes and cars that break when they crash.

And for that Tamara is glad. She feels safe knowing her son knows what to do, but in the end, she just wants him to be a child.

"He's quite the kid at just 5 years old. I look at him and everything he's done and everytime I think about it, it's just so amazing," she said.

Contact Emily Christensen at (319) 291-1570 or emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.