Learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation, aka CPR, can save lives. Vada Carawan, 11, learned the life-saving procedure during a Girl Scouts meeeting without realizing that days later, that knowledge and experience would help save her dad’s life.
Eleven days after Vada learned CPR at the training session in Virginia Beach, Virginia, she found her dad unresponsive and in need of help, and she jumped into action.
More from CafeMom: Man Hears a Noise in His Partner’s House & Discovers a Baby Hidden in a Drawer
At first, she didn't know if she could actually perform CPR.
Though the 11-year-old had learned CPR during a training at her Girl Scout meeting, she wasn’t sure she could actually perform the procedure. “I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can do CPR,’ but apparently, I can,” Vada told WAVY.
Of course, doing CPR on her dad was different from performing it on a dummy during the training, especially because the emergency situation was “so scary” for her.
“I think I was a little weaker because it’s not the same doing it on a dummy because it’s not your dad,” she said, per the news outlet.
She noticed her dog 'freaking out.'
Vada’s dog, Maggie, also witnessed the heart attack. Maggie “was freaking out,” Vada realized. “She was trying to wake him up, like, put her paw on there, like trying to wake him up,” Vada told WAVY. At first, Vada “started tearing up” and didn’t know what to do.
More from CafeMom: Everyone Showed Up for a Baby Shower & They Were in for the Biggest Surprise — It Was a Wedding!
In spite of the initial shock, she took action.
Although Vada described being “in complete shock” for a minute, the actions she took next helped save her dad’s life. “I was like, ‘Heart attack … heart attack, 911,'” she told the news outlet. While waiting for paramedics to arrive, Vada gave chest compressions, just like she learned at her Girl Scouts meeting.
Vada's dad is recovering.
Vada’s dad, Clint, was rushed to the hospital and is in the process of recovering. The 11-year-old’s mom, Amanda Carawan, praised her daughter’s heroic actions on a GoFundMe page that she set up to raise money to cover Clint’s medical expenses.
“Four days after celebrating her 11th birthday, Vada Carawan became a hero,” Amanda wrote on the page. She explained that Vada’s dad had driven her to the Girl Scouts meeting where she learned CPR.
“What’s incredible is that just eleven days earlier, Vada attended a Girl Scouts meeting where she had learned CPR for the very first time,” Amanda shared on the page. “Clint had driven her there, sitting in the parking lot, never imagining how important that meeting would become.”
Vada and her mom shared inspiring messages, urging people to learn CPR and to believe in themselves.
After successfully learning and performing CPR, Vada has learned that “you can accomplish anything you put your mind to,” she told WAVY. “I definitely don’t think you’re too young for anything.”
Her mom echoed this sentiment on the GoFundMe page. “Vada proved that even the smallest hands can make the biggest difference,” she wrote.
She also urged people to learn CPR. “Above all, we want to share a message with everyone: teach and learn CPR as early as possible,” she shared, adding that “you never know when you’ll be called to act, and the skills you learn today could save a life tomorrow.”
