Only days after learning CPR a young woman saved her father's life when he suffered a potentially fatal heart attack
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Having just days before learned how to perform CPR on a dummy, Vada Carawan, 11, noticed her father was having a heart attack. Putting what she knew into practice, she performed the life-saving procedure on him until emergency services showed up.
Within only a few minutes, the young woman had overcome her shock and fear and snapped into action. While performing chest compressions on her father, she called 911 and kept him alive until they turned up.
Talking to WAVY, she looked back on the traumatic CPR episode. "I started tearing up and I was like, 'What do I do?' Like, for a minute there, I was in complete shock. And then I was like, 'Heart attack ... heart attack, 911." Her level-headed and quick actions saved her father's life.
Recalling the situation, she noted the differences between the Girl Scout CPR practice and the actual act. "It's kind of hard to put into words because it was so scary," she said. "I think I was a little weaker because it's not the same doing it on a dummy because it's not your dad."
CPR Training Saved Her Father
Vada had obviously been paying attention during her Girl Scout CPR training. Speaking to the news outlet, she recalled her success with the dummy. "I was actually the only person in my whole class to successfully save our dummy because when you do CPR, the dummy has lights, and if it's green, you're doing it correctly," she boasted.
She went on to praise the training and the necessity of it. As she points out, you're never too young to save a life, and CPR training like this is an essential skill. If it wasn't for the fact she had taken the time to learn, her father may not have survived his heart attack.
The paramedics are praising her quick thinking and bold actions. In the face of fear, she kept cool and her father may owe his life to her as a result. I wonder if she will get a Girl Scout badge for it.
