Lifeguards Honored For Saving Seizure Victim In Pool

NORWOOD, MA — The whole incident was no more than three minutes, but because the lifeguards at Father Mac’s Pool knew exactly what to do in those moments, a tragedy was averted.

The selectmen honored Grace Gillis, Lauren Gillis, Natalie Looney, Aslinn Keady, Shayla Keady, and Jess Keller for their July 10 rescue of a girl who suffered a seizure at the pool. The group told the selectmen that a young lady who was there as part of the extended day program had a seizure in the shallow end of the pool. Grace Gillis was able to identify that the girl was having a medical emergency while the other lifeguards cleared the pool, call emergency services, helped get the girl out of the pool, and took care of her until the fire department arrived.

"This reminds us why we have lifeguards. I wish we didn't have to need lifeguards but it's wonderful to know that when we do they're there for us," Selectman Bill Plasko said.

Selectman Paul Bishop praised Athletic Director John Gunning for giving the team great confidence and training.

"Whether your part of the police department, Patriots, Red Sox, or military, it comes down to training. If you train, train, and train and know what you're doing when things like that happen, you'll instinctively go back to your training. I want to thank you for training them the way that you do. You give them confidence and if these girls have confidence, good things are going to happen," Bishop said.

"They put in the hours of training, they're alert, attentive, and responsible. It makes my job to train and oversee them a lot easier when I have such a dedicated and wonderful staff," Lee replied.

Image via Norwood Recreation Department