Little Girl Has Tea Party With Texas Officer Who Saved Her Life

ROWLETT, TX — Just a year after a police officer in Texas saved the life of a little girl choking on a coin, the two sat down together to enjoy a tea party that was captured in an adorable photo session.

The girl, 2-year-old Bexley, and Officer Patrick Ray of the Rowlett Texas Police Department sat down July 17 for a cup of tea and snacks. It was July 26, 2015 that Ray had saved the girl's life, and it is something Bexley's mother Tammy Norvell will be eternally grateful for.

Norvell posted a message titled "Thank You" that was shared by the City of Rowlett on Facebook.

"Because of this man, I got to see my princess turn two! Because of him, I didn't miss her 1st year of preschool with her twin brother! Because of this officer, we had pink toys at Christmas, not just blue ones. Because of this hero, I get to kiss and tell her 'goodnight' every night," the message read.

The encounter brought the Ray and Norvell families close — "the perfect family extension," as Norvell calls it.

It was Sunday afternoon in July of 2015 when Norvell and her husband were playing with their three children outside. The family was out swimming and enjoying the summer day when Norvell decided it was nap time. As she took the children inside to give them a bath, she felt Bexley sink.

"She just went very limp in my arms," Norvell said in a phone interview with Patch.

That's when Bexley collapsed. Norvell picked her face up and noticed that her lips were blue and she yelled for her husband.

While he phoned for help, Norvell tried to keep Bexley from passing out on her.

"In an emergency, people say it seems like eternity before anyone can get there," Norvell said.

But the experience was opposite for her.

"I could not believe I heard sirens as fast as I did," she said.

Norvell says her family lives fairly close to the police station, and when her husband phoned for help, P-Ray, as she calls him, had just gotten there for lunch. He knew he was the closest to the Norvell home and responded immediately, reaching the house in just three minutes.

Ray put Bexley on the grass and did a finger sweep, dislodging the coin that she was choking on. As the coin dislodged, Norvell said she heard a cough, a squeak and a cry.

He saved Bexley's life in just 27 seconds.

"I knew God had sent the right person," Norvell said as she choked back tears.

They got the all-clear at the hospital, and since that day Ray and Norvell's families have developed an undeniable bond. At the restaurant the Norvell family owns in nearby Garland, they even have a sandwich called "the P-Ray special."

"It's an amazing relationship that we have built," Norvell said.

And as for Bexley, Norvell says her daughter knows about the role he played in saving her life.

"I've seen her look at him like I've never seen her look at another man," she said.

Norvell says she celebrates the day as part of her journey because it made her who she is and brought her and Ray's family closer together.

Bexley, who has a twin brother, will be 3 years old in September. Her older brother Lincoln is 5.

"There are bad apples in every line of work, but there aren't heroes in every line of work," Norvell said.

See Norvell's full message below.

All Images by Chelle Cates, Chelle Cates Photography on Facebook, used with permission