A special
message from Anna Maria Chávez, CEO, Girl Scouts of the USA
Earlier
this year, I had the privilege of meeting high school senior Erika Yee when I
returned to my home state of Arizona to attend the Girls and Women of
Distinction Celebration with the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona council. During
the celebration, I was honored to present Erika with a Lifesaving Achievement award
for her heroic act that saved the life of one of her fellow students at
University High School in Tucson, Arizona.
On
October 15, 2012, Erika, a Tucson native, was at band practice when her band mate
Chris Miller suddenly collapsed. Erika had recently learned a technique known
as Continuous-Chest-Compression CPR as a Girl Scout Junior at her local Girl
Scout camp, Camp Fury. According to research, Continuous-Chest-Compression CPR
is about twice as effective as traditional CPR in resuscitating patients who
suffer sudden cardiac arrest.
Responding
with the courage, confidence, and character emblematic of a Girl Scout, Erika
took charge of the situation, administering Continuous-Chest-Compression CPR to
Chris until paramedics arrived on the scene. Today Chris is alive and well, and
both he and the medics credit Erika’s quick thinking and swift action with
saving his life.
Erika
turned her incredible story into her Girl Scout Gold Award project, working in
conjunction with the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center to provide
Continuous-Chest-Compression CPR training to high school students throughout
Tucson. She also produced a short video
about her experience, highlighting how easy this technique is to administer in
an emergency.