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A young Girl Scout saved her father’s life using CPR — very soon after learning it.

Vada Carawan, 11, sprang into action after seeing dad Clint Carawan having a heart attack on the floor of their home in Virginia just 11 days after she first practiced CPR on a dummy during a Girl Scout training session, WAVY reported.


  Vada Carawan sprang into action to save her father’s life using her Girl Scout CPR training. Facebook / Amanda Indica Vada Carawan sprang into action to save her father’s life using her Girl Scout CPR training. Facebook / Amanda Indica

“Of course, it was scary,” Vada recalled, saying her panic initially made her forget her new lifesaving skill. “And I started tearing up and I was like, ‘What do I do?’ Like, for a minute there, I was in complete shock. And then I was like, ‘Heart attack … heart attack, 911,'” she told the outlet about last month’s scare.

“Maggie, my dog, was freaking out,” said Vada. “She was trying to wake him up, like, put her paw on there, like trying to wake him up.”

Once she realized the gravity of the situation, Vada began doing chest compressions while on the phone with paramedics, who helped her revive her dad.

“It’s kind of hard to put into words because it was so scary,” Vada told the outlet. “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, comparing the situation to her training with the Virginia Beach Girl Scouts.


  Vada began doing compressions on her father after finding him unresponsive and seeing their family dog trying to wake him up. WAVY Vada began doing compressions on her father after finding him unresponsive and seeing their family dog trying to wake him up. WAVY

“I was actually the only person in my whole class to successfully save our dummy because when you do CPR, the dummy has lights, and if it’s green, you’re doing it correctly,” Vada said to the outlet.

“Just put your mind to anything that you would want to do,” Vada explained. “I definitely don’t think you’re too young for anything.”


  Vada put her Girl Scout training into action to save her father’s life. Facebook / Vada Carawan Vada put her Girl Scout training into action to save her father’s life. Facebook / Vada Carawan

  Clint is on the road to recovery, according to the family. Facebook / Amanda Indica Clint is on the road to recovery, according to the family. Facebook / Amanda Indica

Vada is receiving acclaim from first responders and her mother, who credit her with saving her father’s life.

“She got to be his hero,” Amanda Carawan, Vada’s mom, told the outlet.

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