"So I crawled in there, grabbed her and got her out. At the end of the day, I was just trying to find her. I've known her since I was a little kid." - Tommy Armstrong, Jr. https://t.co/LYnaA0GMsw
— 1011 NOW (@1011_News) December 27, 2022
It was the day after Christmas, and it wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
I was sitting on the couch with my husband, Tommy, after a weekend of celebrating the holiday with his family in Gulfport, Mississippi.
We were getting ready for Monday Night Football to come on when Tommy's mother, Nadine, shot up from the couch and shouted that she saw a fire in the house across the street.
To be honest, everything after was kind of a blur but also slow motion all at the same time. Tommy immediately jumped off the couch and ran out the door with his mother following closely behind him.
We had just put our 6-month-old, Tatum, down for a nap, so I handed our nephew the baby monitor and asked him to just keep an eye on our son.
I had no idea what we were about to run into, but looking back now, it's a night that will be etched in our minds for the rest of our lives.
Something like a nightmare
I called 911 as fast as I could and then ran across the street to see what was going on.
The sight of flames and dark smoke filling up the sky and the sounds of shattering glass were something out of a nightmare.
Just as I get to the driveway, I see a frantic young girl stumbling towards me, crying out and covered in black smoke char.
I grabbed her and helped lay her down in the street.
My initial concern was that she was burnt, but after a quick look, she wasn't burnt — she was just covered in smudge and badly bleeding from multiple deep cuts that she got from jumping through a window.
I'm no medical expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I knew I had to do something for her.
Bravest 13-year-old I've met
Without second thought, I ripped off my shirt to apply pressure and compress the cuts I could see — and they were unlike anything I had ever seen before.
It was an unusually chilly night of only 30 degrees, but I honestly didn't realize I was barefoot and in a sports bra until later.
All I cared about was this young girl who was so distraught.
I knew I needed to stop as much of the bleeding as possible and, equally as important, I needed to keep her calm and from looking at the house or her cuts.
I started to introduce myself to her and made small conversation and learned her name was Jaylah — we both were shocked at how similar our names were.
She's by far the kindest, most thoughtful, and most polite 13-year-old I've ever met.
She kept her manners, saying please and thank you, and called me ma'am even in the scariest and most uncertain of situations.
Jaylah was injured pretty substantially, but her own well-being was the last thing on her mind. All she was concerned about was her mother who she told me was still in the house.
While I was pressing my shirt on her wounds and holding her hand tightly, she asked if I would pray with her for her mother.
We continued to pray for several minutes together as I kept my eyes glued to the house, looking for any sign of hope that progress was being made.
It was impossible to see anything but smoke, and all I heard was fire cracking and shouting. This was really the first time I realized how scary this situation was, and I couldn't believe this was happening.
I didn't know where Tommy or his mom was, but I had no doubt he would do anything he could to rescue anyone in the house.
I just couldn't imagine being in Jaylah's shoes.
Such an innocent heart being put through the unimaginable the day after Christmas.
Thank God our prayers would soon be answered as I saw a group of people carrying a woman away from the house.
I had no idea what condition she was in, but I saw her eyes were open and so I let Jaylah know her mom was out of the house and responsive.
She instantly burst into tears of relief, and then she became concerned for herself, telling me she felt like her chest was burning, her arm was numb, and that she was afraid for her own life.
I did what I could to distract Jaylah while trying to see how her mom was doing and where Tommy was.
I repeatedly told Jaylah how proud I was of her and that she was so brave.
She did so good to do whatever she could to get out of the house.
I told her that she was so selfless for caring about her mother and family regardless of her condition.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I was able to lock eyes on Tommy and his mom next to Jaylah's mother — I could finally take a deep breath in the chaos.
Knowing he was out of the house, I turned 100% focus back on Jaylah and embraced her in a hug to comfort her and keep her warm.
Hug your family extra tight and always tell them how much you appreciate them. Life is too precious.
— Tommy Armstrong Jr. (@Tommy_Gun4) December 27, 2022
Gratitude
There were five family members in total that were in the house, and thanks to Tommy, his mother, neighbors, firefighters, and paramedics, all were able to get away from the house and receive medical attention.
Tommy went into the house after removing an AC unit from a window and was able to pull multiple people out despite not being able to see through the thick smoke. He, his mom, and another neighbor were able to carry Jaylah's mother away from the house and helped keep her upright so she could breathe — heroic actions that surely saved lives.
Tommy and I have been through quite a bit in our lives, and because of that, I would say we both have a very happy-go-lucky attitude.
We try to treat each day as a gift, but it goes without saying that I've been hugging Tommy and Tatum a little tighter since that experience.
It was such a tragic and heartbreaking night to see a family go through that, and it brought plenty of perspective on how fragile and unpredictable life is.
We are so glad to have been there and able to help this family in their darkest hour.
Things can really change in an instant.
One minute you're on the couch getting ready to watch a football game, and the next you have your arms wrapped around a hurt young girl you just met — praying she gets to see her mother again.
Jaylah's strength and courage will forever be a source of inspiration for me.
I'm so grateful for life, health, and everyone I hold dear, including my amazing husband.
Anyone who knows Tommy knows he would do anything for anyone and that there was never a doubt he was going to go in that burning building.
Tommy grew up on this street in Gulfport and knew the family he helped save, but I'm confident he would've gone into that burning house even if they were complete strangers.
We both have so much admiration for all of the brave first responders who take action like this on a daily basis. It takes a ton of courage and heart to be able to willingly put yourself in situations like that.
Life is such a gift and that night reminded me how fortunate I am to see each day and how blessed I am to have such a brave husband.
For those who are looking to help the Brown family. Anything would help our neighbor and childhood friends who have lost everything. https://t.co/fRzEnE7iQX
— Tommy Armstrong Jr. (@Tommy_Gun4) December 28, 2022
Help if you can
For anyone who is willing and able to help, there is a GoFundMe page (https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-hand-up-for-the-brown-family) set up to help this family start to piece things back together and to help cover medical expenses.