Lily Dashner’s first moments in the world were very nearly her last.

“When I was born—this is gonna sound really graphic, but—I died,” Dashner said. “That’s pretty much the right way to say it. I came out, looked at my dad, smiled, and then died.”

Dashner was born at home in cardiac arrest. Without the firefighters who arrived on the scene to take Dashner to the hospital, she wouldn’t be alive 18 years later, much less heading to senior prom. That’s why Dashner stopped at the fire department, in a fire-truck-red dress, to take her prom photos and thank them for saving her life.

“I was kind of nervous because I didn’t know what they were going to say,” Dashner said, “but they were all really nice and I’m glad I got to see them.”

The moment was as much a full-circle experience for the firefighters as it was for Dashner.

“One thing they told me was that they never really get to see the end of their stories and see if the people they help actually live, or what happens to them,” Dashner said.

“They were glad that I got to come and say hi because they got to see that what they do actually helps people and saves lives.”

Although none of “her firefighters” work at the station she went to anymore, they have long been part of the life they helped save. Dashner’s parents invited “her firefighters” to each of her birthday parties. And they showed up to all of them.

“I probably would not have known them unless this thing happened,” Dashner said. “But it’s kind of cool that I got to get to know them. I have a necklace that they gave me on my second or third birthday that says “Lily’s Fire Truck Engine No. 2.” They’ll always be with me. They saved my life.”

Dashner’s cardiac arrest at birth caused her to have epilepsy. Because of this, Dashner has experienced difficulty in school. While some would pity Dashner, she feels her struggles have made her the person she is now.

“I’ve had to work my ass off to be where I am today, and I’m still not caught up with everyone,” Dashner said. “I push myself really hard just to be at the normal that everyone else is. And I think that if I didn’t have epilepsy, I wouldn’t know how to work as hard as I do. I wouldn’t be as strong as I am today if this never happened to me.”

Eighteen years after her firefighters saved her, Dashner is preparing to attend Austin College, as a legacy. While her major is undecided, Dashner plans to pursue math or science. Possibly neurology, since she already knows a lot about epilepsy and seizures. But seeing her firefighters before prom has helped to narrow down what Dashner wants to do with her life.

“I just know I want to help people in my future in some way,” Dashner said. “I don’t want to sit at a desk all day and count numbers.”

Perhaps she could even follow in her firefighters’ footsteps.

“If I’m on the road and I see a fire truck helping people, I want to go out and help them,” Dashner said. “So going to see my firefighters before prom kind of helped me realize that maybe being a firefighter might be a fun job to do. Just something that helps people is really what I want to do.”

Dashner has her whole life ahead of her, but it will always come back to her firefighters.

“I can’t explain how grateful I am for my firefighters,” Dashner said. “Like I’ve said so many times, if they weren’t there, if they weren’t alive or doing their job, I wouldn’t be here today. I’m very grateful that they were able to save my life.”

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This story was originally published on The Shield Online on May 18, 2022.