Hononegah High School Senior Cassidy Davenport is preparing to graduate soon. Even though she's had a busy senior year her dad recently encouraged to take a CPR course. He's a firefighter who told her that CPR is something that would save so many more lives if we all knew how to do it. And the thing is you never know when you are going to need that knowledge. To make her dad happy she made time for the course and earned a certification.
A few weeks later she was at a Rockford, Illinois, Target store when she heard someone screaming for help. She ran a couple of aisles over to see what was happening and there was a hysterical mom trying to help her little girl who was now unconscious choking on a cookie. Cassidy says "I ran over there and started my CPR compressions. I gave 30 compressions of CPR, and then I had her breathing before I had to do mouth-to-mouth. Then I flipped her over and did back thrusts and then the Heimlich. And then out popped the cookie.”
In recognition of her heroic actions, Cassidy was presented a civilian lifesaving award from the Winnebago County Board and the Village of Machesney Park.
"I wasn’t expecting any of this. Honestly, I was not just expecting to walk out of there saving a life, getting CPR certified,” said Davenport. “It doesn’t take long. It doesn’t cost a lot. And I think everybody needs it.”
The event made such an impression on Cassidy that she is now planning to study nursing as she moves into the next phase of her academic career.