Cub Scout springs into action — twice — to save family members’ lives

Stories of Scouts saving others aren’t uncommon. But, how often do you hear about a Scout saving two people’s lives on separate occasions…in the same year?

Quick thinking by Webelos Scout Steven Sanders saved his younger brother and his great-grandmother this year.

The first rescue happened in April while Steven and his 3-year-old brother Troy were eating breakfast at their home in Le Roy, N.Y. Troy began choking on a hard-boiled egg. By the time the boys’ parents turned around to help, Steven had already jumped into action, grabbing Troy’s left arm to stabilize him while hitting his back with the palm of his other hand. Troy spit up the food. And that was that.

“It was like nothing ever happened; it floored me,” Steven’s mom Emily says.

Emily began questioning her 10-year-old son how he knew what to do. She knew he had learned some basic first aid skills in Scouting, but not specific techniques for choking yet.

“‘I knew Troy was in trouble, and I just did it,'” he replied.

New York’s Iroquois Trail Council honored Steven for his instinctive actions with a certificate a couple of months later.

At Granny’s house

In August, Steven was visiting his great-grandmother, affectionally known as Granny, with his aunt and grandmother in Stafford, N.Y., when he heard a strange sound coming from the bathroom. He checked it out and found Granny passed out on the floor. She had suffered a seizure. Steven called for his aunt and grandmother, who attended to Granny while Steven called 911.

He calmly explained the situation to the dispatcher and relayed information to his family members so they could properly treat Granny while an ambulance rushed to the home. She was taken to the hospital and released later that day.

Steven has always been a calm and kind kid, his mom says; Scouting has helped him Be Prepared for anything.

“I’m a very proud mom,” Emily says.

Scouts in Action

For more stories of Scouts’ lifesaving efforts, click here for an archive of Boys’ Life magazine’s Scouts in Action cartoons. And for stories of Scouters saving others, click here.