MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- When you think of an everyday hero, many times a firefighter, police officer or state trooper comes to mind.
Most people will go out of their way to avoid law enforcement on the road, but one family tried to get the attention of a state trooper and because they did, their beautiful daughter got a chance to live and breathe.
That's why Timothy Ehrenborg is an Everyday Hero.
Laykin Thomas has seen some hard times after being born at 26 weeks, but nothing like June 14, when the child ran a high fever and was rushed to the hospital by her parents.
"About that time she started convulsing, had bottle, wasn't drinking it, started choking. I turned on the dome light, her eyes rolled in the back of her head," Amanda Moon-Thomas
That's when strangers became so much more, flashing their lights feverishly on the side of U.S. 33.
"Mr. Thomas runs up to me (with) little Laykin in his arm, not breathing," said Trooper Timothy Ehrenborg.
A frantic family on the verge of losing something so precious, a husband spoke to his wife.
"That's what stuck in my head -- the moment he said, 'Oh my God. She's gone," Moon-Thomas said.
Miles from the hospital, Ehrenborg went to work, sweeping Laykin's mouth and starting CPR.
"Put a pink blanket on the berm, I was on my knee, had her in this arm," Ehrenborg said.
After a few short seconds, there was hope.
"I remember when she took that breath, I looked at them and said, 'Are you seeing this? It's working! She's breathing,'" Ehrenborg said.
When medics arrived, the family was whisked away, but the strangers now had a special connection.
"I kept saying, 'Thank you so much! Thank you so much!' He said, 'I was just doing my job,'" Moon-Thomas said.
Fast-forward a year later, and the special connection still remains.
"It's nice to see her growing, enjoying life," Ehrenborg said.
But Amanda wanted more for her daughter's guardian angel on that night. She wanted Central Ohio to know what happened.
"He probably doesn't get awards for pulling over drunk drivers or busting people for drugs. I think it was important to see there is more than that," Moon-Thomas said.
So she nominated Ehrenborg to be an Everyday Hero.
"It's a great honor to have something like this," he said.
With daughters of his own, Ehrenborg's family is a regular at Komen Columbus Race For the Cure, so his $500 donation will go toward Komen Columbus Race For the Cure.
Even though Laykin is still so young, her family is waiting for the day when she can understand what happened and who saved her life.
But she is learning quickly about who Ehrenborg is.
"That's my hero. That's my hero," Laykin said.
"That's what we are out here for to stop and see if people needed help, this is working out perfectly," Ehrenborg said.
In the name of State Trooper Timothy Ehrenborg, NBC 4 made a $500 donation to the Susan G. Komen Columbus Race For The Cure Fund.
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