This month marks one year since a tragic event created a hero out of a little girl. In January of 2023, Isabelle Dana Vazquez, who was 9 years old, saved her stepmother, Shannon Vazquez, who was having a brain aneurysm.

Isabelle, who goes by Izzy, woke up on what she thought would be a regular day at her father’s house. But instead, she heard a “thud” and then found her stepmother in their bedroom on the floor. Shannon was on the phone with Izzy’s father, Jorge, telling him, “It’s coming back!” referencing headaches she’d been having. Izzy froze with fear. 

Shannon told Izzy that her father said to call 911. She grabbed her phone, called 911 and remained the point of contact throughout the ordeal.

Moments later, the paramedics showed up at Shannon’s home in Wright City.

“They picked her up in a stretcher, and they put her in the back,” Izzy said. “I think they put her to sleep. Then I rode in the ambulance, and then we got to the hospital, and they gave me snacks.”

While Izzy was being tended to by nurses, her mother, Ally, and her father were making their way to the hospital. Izzy was afraid. She’d seen too much and had been asked so many questions. The entire situation was traumatic. Two months later, Shannon passed away.

Shannon’s death impacted Izzy very deeply, and she began to wonder if she could have prevented it if only she’d acted sooner. Prior to Shannon’s passing, she’d been experiencing depression anxiety and nightmares. It all got worse after she lost her stepmother. But with the help of her family and medical professionals, Izzy won the battle to get her peace back.

Izzy began therapy and was diagnosed with psychosis which has been defined as “a severe mental condition in which thought and emotions are so affected that contact is lost with external reality.” A total of five weeks at DePaul Hospital’s inpatient care facilities aided Izzy in her recovery.

“They helped her a lot,” Ally said. “They gave her the medication she needed for that time. She's no longer on that medication, thankfully. I also give credit to Izzy’s strong work.”

Izzy’s time at DePaul was challenging at first, being afraid of the unknown and only able to visit with her mother 15 minutes a day. But she got used to the routine, made friends and came to appreciate the support of the counselors. Ally also sought counseling to deal with her anxiety about Izzy’s mental health and her being away.

Today, through a gradual recovery, which had been assisted by her school guidance counselor Miss Kirchoff, the 10-year-old is feeling more like herself. She’s enjoying school, her friends and has recently found emotional refuge in horseback riding with lessons gifted to her by her grandmother.

“When I’m around horses and horseback riding I feel calm and at peace and really focused,” Izzy said.

Shannon was an organ donor and to honor her death, Ally keeps her memory alive in the nonprofit she founded, Celebrate Life 5k, to originally commemorate her late cousin Dana Ezell, who was also an organ donor. The nonprofit was taken over by Mid-America Transplant which now hosts the annual event that is slated to take place this October.

Izzy’s bravery has also been celebrated by Wright City, which named March 14 Izzy Vasquez Day. March 14 also happens to be Ezell’s birthday.

“She was a very sweet, sweet person,” said Ally of Shannon, “and she took good care of my daughter.”