VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — WTKR News 3 is presenting a very brave 11-year-old Virginia Beach girl, Vada Carawan, with a special surprise after she helped save her dad's life. Her actions resulted in national TV attention, with her appearing on the Tamron Hall Show to share her story.
Watch previous: Virginia Beach girl, 11, saves dad's life with CPR during heart attack
It was back in January when we first told you about Vada. She revealed how she learned CPR not long before her father had a heart attack.
"Eleven days before — I went to Girl Scouts, dad actually drove me," she said.
She's part of Troop 44, which meets at Coastal Virginia Church in Norfolk. Troop leader Kuria Spindler told News 3 about the CPR training that was scheduled to take place during one of their meetings.
"We're gonna learn about first aid. We're going to learn about CPR. Maybe they'll get it, maybe they won't, but at least then they know the process and such," she shared. "When I heard from one of our Girl Scouts' moms about Vada, it was just instant tears."
Watch previous: Hear the 911 call between a VB dispatcher and 11-year-old performing CPR on dad
Last month, we shared the actual 911 she made while her dad Clinton was having a massive heart attack. Here's a transcript of part of the call between Vada and Virginia Beach dispatcher David Fowler:
David Fowler: "Okay, you said your father has passed out on the floor, and you're not sure if he's having a heart attack?
Vada Carawan: "Yes, yes, sir."
David: "We might need you to do CPR. Are you willing to help out?"
Vada: "Yes, sir."
David: "Okay, you know how to do CPR? Do you need instructions?
Vada: "I just recently learned CPR sir."
That training at her scout meeting came from a local company, STAT CPR, owned by Cornetta Banks — who conducted the training. When she received word about how Vada performed CPR on her dad after that training, she said, "That really, really touched my heart, because it just showed me what I'm doing is really meaning something. This was like everything to me!"
And when Vada reflected on her training, she shared, "I didn't think I was gonna need to use it so soon, maybe later on life, not 11 days after... and on my dad, that's having a massive heart attack."
I shared with her dad that a lot of people are very proud of Vada. And he chimed in, "Me too, I'm living proof of it. So very proud of her."
And so is News 3, which is why we presented Vada with an Everyday Hero award, along with a $300 Visa gift card from our community partner Southern Bank.
If you want more information on the CPR training provided by STAT CPR, click here.
