Community member Joseph (Joey) Frager was awarded the Citizen Commendation Award from the City of Leawood chief of police for demonstrating “incredible strength and maturity” when his mother, Jackie Frager, experienced a life-threatening medical emergency.
The award was presented to Frager on Aug. 4 at the Leawood Police Department.
While at their Leawood, Kansas, residence, Jackie Frager experienced a medical emergency. Joey Frager recognized the seriousness of the situation and called 911 while he remained calm and provided vital information to the dispatchers. Leawood Fire and Johnson County Med-Act arrived a short time later and transported Jackie Frager to Menorah Medical Center where she received medical attention.
Joey’s father, Scott Frager, a former police officer for the City of Leawood, shared the news with his former boss, Chief of Police Dale Finger. Finger was so impressed by Joey’s action that he awarded Frager the Citizen Commendation.
The award was presented by Finger and Captain Kirt Yoder. The certificate says, “In recognition of your swift and courageous actions on July 21, 2023, during a medical emergency. Your decision making and ability to remain calm in a stressful situation, while speaking with 911 emergency personnel, provided critical information for the first responders.”
Frager works as a server at Village Shalom. He is a graduate of the KU Transition to Postsecondary Education (KU TPE), an inclusive postsecondary education program for KU students with intellectual disabilities (Frager has autism). TPE is a two-year program that leads to the KU Transition to Postsecondary Education Certificate through the School of Education and Human Sciences. As a student of the program, he took regular KU courses for credit, participated in student clubs and activities, lived in KU housing on campus and engaged in career internships.