Girl Named 'Community Hero' For Stepping Up During Medical Emergency
WALPOLE (CBS) - A little girl stepped up during a medical emergency. She saw someone in trouble, and knew what to do. Now, police are calling her a hero.
Four-year-old Caleigh Concannon is crazy about dogs. She and her mother, Heather, were volunteering for the first time at Golden Opportunities for Independence, a Walpole farm that trains service dogs.
"She had asked to go to the bathroom. She knew where it was. So she ran in," Heather Concannon said.
But when Caleigh got inside, she saw something. "And I ran back to my mom. And then I'm like, there's someone sleeping on the floor," Caleigh says.
It was Dr. Michael Flynn, the farm's director of operations, and he wasn't sleeping, he was having an epileptic seizure.
"He was sick," says Caleigh. How did she know she needed to get help? "Because my dad has diabetes," she says.
Her father's diabetes means he can pass out, so the family has talked about what to do if that happens. To Caleigh, this was the same thing, so she told her mom right away.
"She figured out he was having a seizure, and she called the ambulance and stuff like that," Caleigh says.
"She knew exactly what to do, and she's 4 years old," Heather says.
"I am so proud of her. I am just in awe at the responsibility and the seriousness and her perception in handling the situation," says Dr. Flynn.
The Walpole Police awarded Caleigh a Community Hero Award. "The situation could have been a lot worse than it was and so as a result, she really is a community hero," says Walpole Police Chief John Carmichael.
The Walpole PD also gave Caleigh movie tickets.
