Story by Kate Walters/American Red Cross – Photos by Bill Fortune/American Red Cross
“It really could have been anybody, but it was me. I’m very thankful to have received all of the great training for the work that I do with kids.”
Diane Perez was very surprised this morning at the Child Development Center on the Airforce Academy when she was publicly presented with the Certificate of Merit, the highest award given by the American Red Cross.
She was surprised differently on the morning of December 14, 2018, when she noticed a little boy at the center wasn’t breathing. He had been eating a banana and now he was turning purple. She quickly swept her finger through his mouth and told the front desk to call 9-1-1. She turned him around in her arms and began administering swift blows to his little back just as she had been trained to do in the Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED course she had recently completed. After what seemed like an eternity to her, but in reality, it was probably less than 10 seconds, the piece of banana dislodged, and the young child took a deep gasp of life-giving oxygen.
Thomas Gonzalez, Executive Director of the American Red Cross of Southeastern Colorado presented the award. He commented that it can be a challenge to keep First Aid/CPR/AED training current because the certification must be renewed every 2 years. But stories like this inspire him to always be sure to stay up-to-date because you never know when you might be faced with an opportunity to save someone’s life.
Gonzalez tells us that the Red Cross Certificate of Merit has been in existence since 1911 and has been signed by 16 different presidents.
Colonel Brian Hartless, Commander 10th Air Base Wing commended Perez saying, “My wife and I took the CPR class before our first child was born. Thankfully we’ve never had to use the training. Many folks take the course and have the knowledge that they could help save a life, but you actually did it and that is very special. It’s big, big deal.”
Along with the Certificate of Merit, Perez received a medal, a lapel pin, and a citation describing her heroic actions.
The citation reads as follows:
On December 14th, 2018, Diane Perez, trained in American Red Cross Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED, helped to save the life of a child who began to choke at the Child Development Center in USAF Academy, CO. The child was eating bananas when he started to choke. His airway became obstructed. One caregiver noticed the child was in distress and quickly grabbed the child and began back blows. The object was not dislodging. The child started turning purple. Another caregiver, Ms. Perez, called the front desk and instructed them to dial 9-1-1. Ms. Perez relieved the one caregiver and proceeded to continue giving back blows. The object became dislodged from the child’s airway. EMS arrived and continued to provide care. Without a doubt, the skills learned in the American Red Cross Training Services course helped to save the life of this child.
For this act, Diane Perez has been awarded the American Red Cross Certificate of Merit. This is the highest award given by the American Red Cross to an individual or team of individuals who saves or sustains a life by using skills and knowledge learned in an American Red Cross Training Services course. The certificate bears the signature of the President of the United States, who is the honorary chairman of the American Red Cross and the signature of the chairman of the American Red Cross.
This action exemplifies the highest degree of concern of one human being for another who is in distress.
If you are interested in learning more about the Red Cross Training Services or want to learn the lifesaving skills taught in our classes, visit our website, redcross.org/take-a-class.