A young heroine from Boulder Creek gave her father an early gift this year for the Feb. 1 birthday they share: the gift of more birthdays together.

When 14-year-old Marissa Kingham returned home from a sleepover at a friend’s house the morning of Jan. 23, she found her father, Robert Kingham, 47, lying in his bed unresponsive and in a state of diabetic shock.

Her father had been feeling ill for some time, but Marissa immediately was aware something was wrong and alerted a family friend, who helped her take him to the emergency room. A grim scene developed as Kingham slipped into a coma.

He remained comatose for six days before he regained consciousness on his — and his daughter’s — birthday.

“The doctor said that if she hadn’t found me, I wouldn’t have made it,” Kingham said.

Marissa learned of the good news when she received a phone call wishing her a happy birthday while she was at school.

“I asked, ‘Who is this?’” she said. “And he said, ‘It’s your daddy.’”

On Feb. 4, Marissa, a seventh-grader at San Lorenzo Valley Middle School, was presented with a certificate of excellence by her father and grandmother in a small ceremony in front of her class to recognize her heroic actions.

“It was something I needed to do,” Kingham said.

Kingham, who is recuperating, said that he expects to make a full recovery and that his daughter has kept a close eye on him and “banned me from junk food.”

“Marissa and I have a whole new relationship now,” he said. “I love my daughter very much, and I am lucky to be alive.”

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