by Jerry Burke
Ten-year-old Robbie Smith was nodding off in front of the television after a long week at John Street school when he heard a thud in his grandmother's room down the hall. With no one else around in his Franklin Square home, he fought off sleep and went to go check on his 69-year-old grandmother, Helen Considine. What he found woke him up immediately.
"I was scared," said Smith. He walked into Considine's room to find her lying on the floor, her eyes wide open, breathing heavily. Then she stopped moving. "I tried to wake her up," said Smith, "but she wouldn't move."
Considine, who had only recently returned home to her daughter Kerry's house after spending three weeks in the hospital following the installation of a pacemaker, was babysitting Smith on Friday, Oct. 3, while her daughter and some friends went to the Bruce Springstein concert at Shea Stadium.
At first, Smith thought she was only kidding around. "He thought she was playing a joke on him," said Kerry. "Luckily, he didn't waste any time sitting around crying."
Smith made a beeline for the phone. "I called my Aunt Carol and told her what happened," he said. His aunt, Carol Grassi, also of Franklin Square, told Smith to stay with Considine and that Grassi would call 911.
As luck would have it, a Nassau County ambulance was parked near the Franklin Square Munson Fire Department headquarters and was able to speed to the home within minutes. "The doctors told my family that when a person's heart stops, they have less than 8 minutes to get it started," said Kerry. "They said most people with my mother's heart condition don't live, and those that do usually have no brain function. So time was really of the essence."
When the paramedics arrived, Smith was still in a bit of shock. "They brought me over to my neighbor's house," he said. Paramedics quickly got Considine's heart started again and transported her to the hospital.
"As soon as my sister called me, we left the concert and rushed home," said Kerry. "I am so proud of him. I know he saved her life."
Considine is doing fine now. Because of Smith's quick action, she and her family had a huge party on Dec. 21 for her 70th birthday. "She was so happy," said Kerry. "She keeps calling him her 'little protector.'"
