Safe Sitter® Heroes

Safe Sitter® and Scout Saves Friend

Taking a Safe Sitter® class along with four Cadettes in her troop helped Lindsay live the Girl Scout motto of "be prepared."

Safe Sitter® graduates learn how important it is to "Always stay safe. Always stay calm. Always provide comfort." And, because of that, Lindsay, 12, was prepared to save a friend from choking.

Lindsay and Alison, also 12, were enjoying a snack of pineapple chunks during French class that their teacher had given them, when Alison, laughing at a classmate's joke, started coughing. When Alison's face turned red, her coughing slowed down and eventually stopped, Lindsay was sure her friend was in trouble.

"She stood up and I knew she was choking," said Lindsay, who took Safe Sitter® at her local hospital in Maryland where her mother and Girl Scout leader is a nurse and co-worker of Kendra, a Safe Sitter® Instructor. When Lindsay asked Alison if she was choking, she received an affirmative nod in return.

Lindsay, remembering what she'd been taught, summoned her courage and stayed calm.

"I said to myself, 'I know how to do this. I just have to do it,'" said Lindsay, describing how the abdominal thrusts she performed caused the pineapple to dislodge from Alison's airway.

Both girls were grateful. Alison cried and gave her friend a hug. Lindsay felt pride and relief because she had known what to do and did it.  

"And I didn't panic-I stayed calm! Alison thanked me over and over. I felt really good," Lindsay said.

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