Moment of Inspiration: Girl Scouts Saving Lives

One of my favorite parts of my job as CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA is writing letters to Girl Scouts who have earned one of our lifesaving awards. Especially in a time of great uncertainty and unprecedented challenges, I find such inspiration and meaning in the actions taken by these girls to help someone in danger.

Angelina is a Girl Scout in New York State. Her dad has type 1 diabetes and one day his blood sugar dropped so low that he fell to the floor and passed out in the kitchen. Angelina sent her younger sister to get icing from the cupboard, which was a quick way of getting sugar into his system, while she called 911. She squirted some icing into his mouth and stayed on the phone with the paramedics until the ambulance came. They were able to revive him and get his blood sugar to a normal level without having to go to the hospital. The paramedic told Angelina she "saved her father's life."

Alessandra, a Girl Scout in Pennsylvania, was at the pool with her 3-year-old sister Kylie when Kylie ran and jumped into the pool without her floatation device. She immediately struggled to stay afloat and sank below the surface of the water. Acting quickly, Alessandra jumped in, retrieved Kylie, and turned her onto her back and positioning her head above the water—a technique she'd learned the day before! She held on to her sister as she moved to the side of the pool. Although Kylie was shaken up and crying as she spit up water, she was otherwise fine, thanks to Alessandra.

And how about this amazing story: Yasmine, Hope, and Kaitlyn were 2.6 miles into a hiking trip with their troop at the Grand Canyon when Rebecca, one of their troop leaders, had a seizure. The girls immediately sprang into action. Hope ran the 0.4 miles to the next rest stop, called 911 and explained the situation, then waited for help and led the paramedics to Rebecca when they arrived. Meanwhile, Yasmine elevated Rebecca’s feet, gave her water, and stabilized her head while Kaitlyn started timing the length of the seizure so she could give that information to the paramedics, also helping to hydrate Rebecca. By the time the paramedics arrived Rebecca was awake, eating small amounts of food, and drinking water and Gatorade. She was helicoptered to a nearby clinic. Thanks to the actions of these incredible girls, Rebecca is alive and well.

Angelina, Alessandra, Yasmine, Hope, and Kaitlyn are girls of true courage, confidence, and character, who represent the highest principles of the Girl Scout Promise and Law. They fill me with hope for the next generation!