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Girl Scout Vada Puts CPR Skills to Use
Girl Scout Junior Vada from Troop 44 never thought in a million years that the CPR training she and other troop members were taking on November 23 would be a life-changer just eleven days later — but it was. What had been a troop activity to earn Girl Scout First Aid badges became part of a miracle.
On December 2, Vada’s dad, Clint, experienced a heart attack at home. With mom at work and Vada home alone with dad when the crisis hit, Vada pulled from her Girl Scout training to get through the experience. Her father was unresponsive and the family’s dog, Maggie, was agitated and adding to the alarm, so Vada knew she needed to act.
In a news interview, Vada recalled how she felt at the time. “Of course, it was scary, and I started tearing up. I was in complete shock. And then I was like, ‘heart attack… heart attack, 911.’”
While on the phone with the dispatcher, she started chest compressions to try to save her dad’s life. With the help of paramedics who arrived within minutes, Clint was revived and his heart began beating again. He was taken to the hospital where he underwent further procedures. He’s home now and on a regimen of medication while recovering.
When asked about her CPR training and putting it to use, Vada said it was hard to describe, but it was scary. Looking back, she says it was not the same as performing CPR on the class manikin. “I was actually the only person in my whole class to successfully save our dummy,” Vada said. “When you do CPR, the dummy has lights, and if it’s green, you’re doing it correctly, going deep enough and all that, and you have the right amount of strength.”
After dad was home from the hospital, Vada and her mom, Amanda, made visits to the fire and ambulance stations where the 911 call was routed. “The first time we visited Station 16,” Amanda shared, “a friend of mine who has been an EMT for 17 years invited us and showed us all the equipment that they used on Vada’s dad, like the CPR machine, ‘LUCAS’. My friend set up the meeting with the EMTs who had been on duty that night and helped Clint so we met them at Station 15. They presented Vada with a CPR Heart pin that is given to those who save a life through CPR.”
A message issued by the family urges everyone to “teach and learn CPR as early as possible.” They also applauded Vada in their message, stating, “Vada proved that even the smallest hands can make the biggest difference. You never know when you’ll be called to act, and the skills you learn today could save a life tomorrow.”
Find upcoming CPR trainings from Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast at gsccc.org/events.
11/30/2024: Vada was featured in a story on WAVY TV.
1/13/2025: Vada appeared on the Tamron Hall Show, where she was presented with the Girl Scout Medal of Honor.
1/15/2025: Vada and her dad were interviewed for a feature on WTKR.
