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This morning the Broward County Chapter of the American Red Cross recognized Jimmy McCrady, Sean Meyler and Eva Meyler with Lifesaving Awards for using lifesaving skills to save a life.
Emergencies can happen at any time: in the grocery store, at a family gathering, at the community pool, or even at your own home or office. But regardless of when and where they occur, emergency situations usually have one thing in common: a crowd of people standing around, watching someone in distress—wondering who should act and trying to remember what to do.
On October 8, 2021 Jimmy was at his high school swim practice. He and his teammates were conducting breathing exercises when a fellow swimmer lost consciousness underwater, sinking to the bottom. At first, Jimmy believed this to be a joke and entered the water to pretend rescue him. He quickly discovered his teammate was not playing around and sprang into action. Jimmy performed a passive rescue without a rescue tube, while the rest of the team helped remove him from the pool. Once the victim was safely out of the water, an off duty lifeguard, Sean Meyler, checked for breathing and pulse. They discovered the victim had no pulse and was not breathing, they knew they needed to perform CPR. A third off duty guard, Eva Meyler, gave two rescue breaths and Sean started compressions. Sean shortly after backed off, and Jimmy stepped in and started giving compressions, while one of the coaches gave another set of breaths. They continued giving CPR until the victim regained full consciousness. He was transported by Fire Rescue to the hospital where he made a full recovery.
Due to the quick actions of these three individuals, they were able to save a life.
For their incredible act of service, Jimmy McCrady, Sean Meyler and Eva Meyler have been awarded the American Red Cross Certificate of Merit. This award is bestowed upon individuals who step up during a time of emergency to alleviate suffering and save or sustain a life. The certificate bears the signature of the President of the United States, who is the honorary chairman of the American Red Cross, and the signature of the chairman of the American Red Cross.
All three individuals were awarded the Certificate of Merit during a virtual ceremony among Red Cross staff and board members.
“Jimmy, Sean and Eva are extraordinary heroes that embody the spirit of the Red Cross. Their quick and decisive actions during a crisis demonstrate the highest level of courage,“ said Paula Prendergast, Executive Director of the Red Cross Broward County Chapter. “They are now among a very special group of people worldwide who have received this honor and we commend them for their heroic actions.”
Take a First Aid and CPR Course online to learn what to do in case emergency help is delayed.
A variety of online, blended (online and in-person skills session), and classroom courses are also available. To learn more and get started, visit redcross.org/takeaclass.
NOMINATE SOMEONE
If you know of a local hero in your community or group of individuals who used Red Cross skills or training to save or sustain a life, you can nominate them at LifesavingAwards.org.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes
