 Lifesavers range from sisters and teenage bystanders to an off-duty firefighter, a Math Specialist, and a Boy Scout St. Louis, Monday, December 10, 2007 – During a ceremony in Creve Coeur today, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter presented Lifesaver Awards to residents from the St. Louis metropolitan area. A variety of citizens from all walks of life received honors for preparing themselves through training and then reaching out to save a life. The following citizens received the American Red Cross Lifesaver Award: - Terry Wehrman (Hillsboro, MO) – Terry Wehrman rushed to the aid of Nichole Hensley and her two children when he came upon an auto accident on Highway B in Jefferson County. As Terry approached the vehicle, he was nearly overcome by the strong smell of gasoline. Terry removed 4-year-old Cheyenne Hensley from her car seat. He instructed Nichole, who had suffered a hip injury in the accident, to do the same for her son. Terry led Nichole and her children away from the vehicle to safety.
- Rochelle Spencer (Dellwood, MO) – Rochelle Spencer, a Math Specialist in the Riverview Gardens School District, had just finished lunch and was on her way out of a coworkers’ office when one of her coworkers began choking. When the coworker was unable to speak, Rochelle began administering abdominal thrusts until the victim’s airway cleared. Upon arrival, the paramedics gave the victim a clean bill of health.
- Dorothy Rooks and Brandon Kirksey (Spanish Lake, MO) – Dorothy Rooks and Brandon Kirksey were stopped in their car at a red light when they noticed two individuals in a parking lot who appeared to be in distress. They quickly pulled in the parking lot to see how they could help. They found one woman unconscious on the ground with the other individual trying to help her. The two teenagers began administering rescue breaths. After losing her pulse twice, they performed chest compressions to get her heart beating again.
- Aaron Chunn (St. Louis City) – Aaron Chunn saved the life of his next door neighbor, Carrie Morrison, by administering first aid when the woman had a seizure. Aaron knew from his Red Cross training that he should tilt Carrie’s head back and keep her airway clear. He continued to stay with Carrie until emergency personnel arrived.
- Janie Miller and Janice Russell (St. Louis, MO and Springhill, KS) – Sisters Janie Miller and Janice Russell were at their parents’ home when a close family friend collapsed. Janice determined the family friend had no pulse. Janie and Janice immediately began team rescue breathing and CPR. Janice did compressions while Janie gave breaths, counted and monitored their friend’s pulse. Thanks to the sisters’ quick actions, the family friend recovered.
- Jonathan Cook (O’Fallon, MO) – Jonathan Cook was babysitting his next door neighbor when the young girl began choking. Jonathan quickly came to the rescue by delivering abdominal thrusts in a successful effort to clear her airway. Jonathan received his Boy Scout Merit Badge in First Aid in July 2006.
About the Red Cross Lifesaver Program: The Lifesaver Award program, sponsored by AAA, is designed to inspire people to get trained in First Aid and CPR by recognizing local citizens who prepared themselves to respond in an emergency situation. Last year, the Red Cross trained more than 85,000 people locally in CPR and First Aid, including more than 15,000 in the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). Since 1984, the Red Cross Lifesaver Program has honored more than 330 St. Louis heroes. The program supports the Red Cross mission to help our communities prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters and emergencies. About the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter: Founded in 1917, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter celebrates 90 years of dedicated service, providing emergency relief and preparedness training more than 410,000 times each year. The Red Cross is not a government agency and depends on the efforts of thousands of volunteers and donors to provide a wide range of community support services, including disaster relief, first aid and CPR training, water safety, services to military personnel and support for blood services. The Chapter, a United Way agency, provides programs and services to St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Jefferson County in Missouri, as well as Monroe, St. Clair (including Scott Air Force Base) and part of Madison County in Illinois. All disaster relief services are provided free of charge thanks to the generosity of the American people. To learn more about Red Cross programs, volunteer opportunities, and how you can help, contact the St. Louis Area Chapter at 314.516.2800 or www.redcrossstl.org. ### |