Woman Nominates 911 Dispatcher As Red Cross Hero, After Dispatcher Helped Her Save Her Sister's Life

CHICAGO (CBS) -- CBS Chicago is proud to be a sponsor of the Red Cross Heroes Breakfast – an event honoring those who go above to help those in need.

This year, a woman from South Shore is nominating Lauren Trylovich, the 911 dispatcher who answered her call after her sister became unresponsive.

The two met recently with our cameras rolling.

As CBS 2's Jim Williams reported in October, Amena Karim reached out to us because she wanted us along when she went to thank the 911 operator who picked up her call. Khan and the operator, Trylovich, embraced warmly upon meeting at the city's 911 Center – having been brought together by a chance to save a life.

It was a terrifying situation when Khan called 911 and got Lauren on the phone. Kahn told the dispatcher her sister was clammy and not moving.

"Ma'am, listen to me, this is very important – somebody needs to start CPR on her right now," Trylovich said.

Karim's sister, Rasheda Khan, became unresponsive earlier this month. Karim knew she had to act fast.

"I didn't know what to say or what to do, and you were so confident and so courageous," Karim told Trylovich.

Trylovich said after getting the required information, she was able to begin directing Karim.

"We were able to then go to work, essentially, and position her sister for CPR," Trylovich said.

Trylovich: "So she's flat on her back?"

Karim: "Yes, she's turning blue."

Trylovich: "All you have to do is put your palms on the center of her chest, push down hard and fast – just like how they do it on TV."

"She empowered me to help my sister, but also, she was very empathetic and effective," Karim said of Trylovich.

Trylovich is a former paramedic. She has been working at the city's Office of Emergency Management for four years – taking intense calls like Karim's.

But when asked how often she gets a call from someone who wants to thank her, Trylovich said: "Never. In my entire career here, this has never happened."

There are several categories to nominate a Red Cross Hero for the 18th annual breakfast. For more information, go to the Red Cross website.

For information on how you can learn CPR, click here and look for the American Red Cross First Aid app.