‘I was so grateful to have Alexa within earshot’

When Penny decided to give her living room a refresh, the last thing she expected was a visit to the emergency room. However, after losing her footing and falling to the floor, Penny needed all the assistance she could get. Home alone for the next few hours, Penny wondered how she would get the help she needed.

An image of a woman smiling for a photo on a balcony at a beachside resort. she is wearing a Hawaiian lei and a flower in her hair. The ocean and a tree are in the background.

Read more about what Penny did next, in her own words:

A few months ago, I decided to paint my living room and had moved all the furniture around and removed items from the walls. Once the paint dried, it was time to put the room back together. I fixed all the furniture back into its usual place, and then tackled the curtain rod over the window. I figured the easiest way to do it was to climb up onto the back of the couch, but I forgot just how slippery that material can be!

Next thing I knew, my foot slipped from the top of the couch, sunk into a cushion, and I hurt my leg as I fell back onto the living room floor. I was so shocked—I laid there for a few moments trying to assess my pain and figure out what to do next. It was such a hard landing that I didn’t want to move my leg because I was so sure it was broken.

As I was lying there on the floor, I ran through my options. My cellphone wasn’t within reach and I wasn’t sure I could move to get it. My husband is a pilot, so he was away for days. My son wouldn’t be home from his classes for hours. It would be a long while before anyone was coming home to rescue me.

Then I remembered Alexa. We have Echo devices all over the house, and before this moment, we’d been using them for the daily stuff—managing our grocery lists, playing music, controlling our lights, and checking in on my family while I’m away for work. I remembered that Alexa could call my contacts, and so I called out and asked Alexa to call my friend and neighbor Celeste.

An image of two women smiling for a photo while sitting in a living room. One woman is holding flowers.

It only rang a few times before Celeste picked up, and I was so relieved to hear her voice. Celeste definitely thought I was joking at first, but eventually she realized I was completely serious and she ran across the road to come help me out. She stayed with me on the line through Alexa the entire time, right up until she came in to get me.

I ruptured my ACL and was so grateful I’d been able to get help when I did. Before the accident, I had been appreciative of how useful Alexa was in making my daily life easier, but this incident really reminded me how much safer it can help me feel. I was so grateful to have Alexa within earshot!

We’re glad to hear that Penny is on the road to recovery and that Alexa was able to help out in a moment of need. Learn more about Alexa Communication features, such as Emergency Contact and Calling that can help you get in touch with your loved ones.

If you have a story of your own about how you use Alexa, we'd love to hear it, and we will continue sharing some of our favorite #AlexaStories. Email us or tag us on

or Instagram @alexa99 or #AlexaStories. Learn more about how Alexa is helping people in different ways by watching our Alexa Stories videos.