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Olivia Patterson may only be 6 years old but she didn't let that stop her from being a superhero.Not only did she save the day, but she also saved her family — from a devastating fire that ravaged their home and could have turned deadly.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has played a number of roles over the years — from CFL football player to WWE wrestling champ to Hollywood megastar (and by megastar we mean MEGASTAR. He just nabbed the title of highest-paid actor EVER for his eye-watering $50 million paycheck for the upcoming movie, Red One.) But it's his most recent role, as an undercover waiter, that shows off his greatest talent; being a really awesome human being.The Rock’s Biggest Fan: A 12-Year-Old Girl Battling CancerIn the realm of action movies, Johnson may just be one of the toughest guys on the planet. But beyond his tough exterior and charismatic performances, Johnson has proven time and again that he has the tenderest heart. For the past couple of years, he's been following Luna Perrone's journey as the now 12-year-old battles a rare bone cancer, Ewing Sarcoma. He was first introduced to her back in June 2021 when she reached out to him via social media. Since then, he's kept tabs on his "biggest fan" and when he found out the heartbreaking news that her cancer has spread, he decided it was high time they finally met in person.So, he arranged a special lunch for Luna and her family at the Hotel Bel-Air. With one Hercules-sized surprise — himself. Johnson shared his good deed, worthy of a demigod, on Instagram, captioning the emotional video in part:"Luna’s an amazing and inspiring girl who’s been fighting cancer for a few years now. She’s my absolute biggest fan and always wanted to meet me.My team and I set up this big surprise for Luna at one of my fav “DJ spots” @hotelbelair. Luna thinks she’s having lunch “arranged by The Rock” because unfortunately, “The Rock is out of town” 😉"But The Rock wasn't out of town. He was in the kitchen and he was about to give Luna the surprise of a lifetime.The Rock Poses as a Waiter to Surprise His “Hero”Posing as a waiter, Johnson, chicken fingers and fries in hand, thanked the kitchen staff as he headed out to surprise Luna.Her sweet face says it all. A little speechless and a whole lot shell-shocked at seeing her idol, Luna was barely able to squeak out a "hi." Johnson immediately put her at ease, telling her to bring it in for a hug."You know what I need? Get in here! I can’t believe I’m finally meeting you!" he told her. And while he may be her hero, the feeling is mutual."I’ve had some super cool jobs in my life - but being Luna’s waiter just might be the coolest 😎 👍🏾," he wrote. He added, "They say, don’t ever meet your heroes, because you’ll be disappointed — well I got to meet my hero and she was AWESOME 😊🥰 🙋🏽♂️"As for Luna? She felt the exact same way. She posted her own video of the exciting event on Instagram, writing:"Coolest thing EVER happened yesterday! I got to meet my hero, THE ROCK! It was the best day!!!"Using His Fame for GoodOf course, being The Rock, he couldn't just stop there. He also gifted Luna and her family tickets to Disneyland for the day. A brief and welcome respite before she heads back to the hospital for her second round of chemotherapy and radiation treatments.This isn't the first time that Johnson has stepped up and used his celebrity status for good. And, it very likely won't be his last. The Fast & Furious star describes moments like this as the “best part of fame.”But you don't have to be famous to take a page out of his playbook. Johnson believes we all have the ability to make the world a better place, famous or not. And it starts with being nice."When I was 15yrs old I heard a quote that stuck with me for life – it's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice."Dwayne "The Rock" JohnsonHe's definitely living it. More from Goalcast: The Rock Films Custom Selfie for Girl Superfan Who Waited Two Hours to Meet HimThe Rock Admits He Used to Steal Chocolate Every Day – Instead of Catching Him, the 7-Eleven Clerk Turned a Blind EyeDwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson Turns Down People’s Choice Award – What He Does Next Is Unexpected
Jose Nuñez Romaniz, a criminal justice student, visited an ATM after trying to buy some socks for his grandfather and realizing he was low on cash. When Jose got to the ATM to make a deposit, he made a wild discovery. Next to the machine was a bag filled with cash. It turns out the bag contained $135,000!Stumbling Into Something BigAt first, Jose didn't know what it all meant or what actions he should take. “When I first saw it, I kind of stared at it for a few seconds, not knowing what to do,” Jose told the New York Times. "I was very shocked. I’ve never seen so much money."Jose Nuñez RomanizHe wasn’t sure if he had stumbled upon a crime scene and was now in trouble, or would become a hostage, or if it was some sort of mistake. Thinking quickly, he called the police.Jose found out that there wasn't a crime in process, but the bag had accidentally been left behind by a worker who was filling the ATM.“This money could have made an incredible amount of difference in his life if he went down the other path, but he chose the integrity path and did the right thing,” Officer Simon Drobik, a spokesman for the Albuquerque police told CNN.A Community Hero That could have been the end of it, but then this young man got an amazing reward. The teen was called a "community hero" by Officer Drobik. The mayor and police chief also held a ceremony to officially thank him!Local businesses joined in on the celebration by showering him with gift cards from local restaurants, season tickets for University of New Mexico football, a $500 scholarship, and even a bunch of sports gear.His mother was super proud too. "She called me and almost started crying… She told me I did the right thing and that she was proud of me."Jose Nuñez RomanizDoing the Right ThingJose remembers that when he was staring at the money, waiting for the police to arrive, he heard the lessons his mother and father had taught him when he was growing up in his head. "My parents always taught me to work for my own. Stolen money would never last you any time."Jose Nuñez RomanizWhen Jose came across that bag of cash, he could have easily taken the money with him and used it to provide him and his family a comfortable life. However, he chose to do the right thing, which gave him a sense of satisfaction. Additionally, his actions led him to receive the admiration of others, which is rewarding in itself. More from Goalcast:10-Year-Old Doesn’t Have Any Money to Pay For His Beloved Uncle’s Funeral – So He Decides to Sell All His ToysThree Kids Find Wallet Stuffed With $700 and Return It – Little Did They Know What Was Coming Next42-Year-Old Finds Pouch With $10,000 on a Bench – Waits Over Three Hours for Owner to ReturnAct with integrity Doing the right thing can present limitless rewards.
As parents, it can be hard to let others take care of your children. After all, no one ever really quite loves your kids and watches out for them the exact way you would. Still, we send them to school and trust that those who are tasked with watching them follow the safety rules and regulations in place — from the teachers to the administrative staff to the bus drivers.That’s why parents across America were shocked when they heard about this woman, who yanked a kid onto her bus one afternoon.A Quick-Thinking DriverApril Wise was going about her regular school bus driving routine in Tecumseh, Ohio, one day in February. A video, which was later posted to the district’s social media page, shows Wise slowing down for a stop. She opens the door and checks the mirrors. That’s when she notices something is wrong.There is a car approaching and it isn’t slowing down. A Grade 7 student is about to step off, so Wise grabs the boy’s backpack and pulls him back hard. Suddenly in the frame, you can see an SUV barreling by, right where the boy would have been."The only thing that went through my brain was to keep him from getting off the bus," Wise, who is a first-year bus driver, told WHIO-TV.“If he would have just got off the bus a little quicker or something, everything might have been different,” Karen Lokai, Tecumseh Schools' transportation supervisor, told an NBC news outlet. “It gives you chills to hear it and see the video and see how close, you know, things happen in such a split second.”Saving a Boy’s LifeOnce the way was clear and the boy exited the vehicle, Wise reported the incident to her bosses. They reviewed the video and couldn’t believe just how close the situation was. At home, the boy told his mother how the driver had saved his life.“The mom reached out to us personally to thank us and thank our team for responding to the accident [and] to thank the bus driver,” Superintendent Paula Crew told the publication. “She’s beyond [thankful that] her son got off the bus and came in the house when he did.”She added that cars often pass the school buses, ignoring the clear “stop” sign that applies to vehicles coming from both directions. Failing to stop could not only result in a $500 fine in that area, but worse: a child could get hurt.Clark County Sheriff’s Office Deputy John Loney says the boy was really lucky after this particular failure to stop. “It’s a miracle that he’s safe,” he said.A Local HeroFollowing the incident, Wise was hailed as a hero. People from the school, law enforcement, and parents gathered to say thank you in a special ceremony in which she was given an award.“This goes far beyond what I imagined to happen, so I am very emotional,” Wise told WCSC. “I don’t deserve it, but I’m glad it’s bringing awareness and stuff. Hopefully, more people will take it into consideration,” she added.“For what she did that day, we definitely appreciate it,” the boy’s father added to the publication.Drive ResponsiblyThis story so clearly demonstrates why it is important to follow traffic laws, and it also reminds us all to slow down behind the wheel — particularly in school zones and on neighborhood streets.Accidents take seconds to happen but can change a life forever. If it weren’t for Wise’s quick thinking, that boy could have been seriously injured or worse.When we’re running late or really excited to get home after a long day at work, it can be tempting to speed up, spend a few seconds less at a stop sign, or ignore a school bus’s signal. But it’s important to take a breath and slow down. Being a few minutes late won’t cost you much, if anything. And there are much worse things that can happen in life.More from Goalcast:Heroic Carnival-Goer Saves Lives After Magic Carpet Ride Spins Out Of Control
Sometimes heroes are the people we least expect. In Phoenix, Arizona, a local homeless man helped save an entire family from an out of control fire. How One Homeless Man Helped a Family Trapped in a FirePhoto by MART PRODUCTIONJust after 4 in the morning on May 18, Claudia Jimenez and her two children were fast asleep while a blazing fire was consuming their apartment building. “I went to the front door and opened it and the flames were already covering my front door. The whole stairs were on fire already,” Jimenez told a local news outlet. "Neighbors started to bang on doors, trying to wake everyone up and get everyone out."Jimenez and her two children were trapped in their second-floor unit, unable to use the main stairwell or even leave through their front door without walking directly into the blaze. Seemingly out of options, Jimenez ran to the back bedroom, opened the window, and began screaming out for help. “I started yelling, yelling, ‘Please someone help me! There’s a fire! I can’t get out! I need someone to help me,'" she recounted. Thats when Joe Hollins bravely became a hero. "I’m gonna help you," Hollins responded. Hollins had been homeless in the area for some time, and was sleeping nearby the apartment building when he saw it go up in flames. Once he heard Claudia's voice, he rushed closer to her unit, and thought quickly on his feet. He told Jimenez to drop her kids and two dogs out the window, and assured her that he would catch them. Originally, he even tried to scale the building, revealing, “I actually tried to climb up the side of window and grab ‘em as far as I could.""Then I said, ‘I got you, don’t worry.’” How a Homeless Man Proved Not All Heroes Wear CapesJimenez, her 1-year-old daughter Valerie, and 8-year-old daughter Natalie were all able to safely exit the burning building without serious injuries, thanks to Hollins. He even caught the families two dogs as well. “I really have no words. I will forever be thankful to him. To me, he was an angel. He was there when I needed, I looked around, he was only one around. Because of him we are alive and my daughters are safe,” Jimenez said.When asked if he felt like a hero by a news crew on the scene, Hollins had a humble response. “Anybody would do it,” he said, adding he did what he had to do and was in the right place at the right time. He also said he was happy to help. This type of nobility is rare, and marks a true hero. Now, others are stepping up in a different way. Though they survived the fire, the Jimenez family lost their home and possessions, and a fundraising campaign has been set up to help them get back on their feet. Remarkably, the campaign has exceeded its $10,000 goal, with support pouring in from all over. The story has struck a chord with all who come across it, and shines a powerful light on the heroic act of Hollins -- though he doesn't ask for any shine.
What started out as an ordinary bus ride home quickly turned into a terrifying ordeal for 60 kids on board when the school driver became lightheaded and lost consciousness. Thankfully, a quick-thinking and heroic 13-year-old took the wheel and saved the day.What Happened When a School Bus Driver Suffered a Medical Emergency Behind the WheelWarren Consolidated Schools/YouTubeThe driver of the bus, who wishes to remain anonymous, was feeling dizzy and was in the midst of radioing for help when she suddenly lost consciousness.As the bus started to veer into oncoming traffic, Dillon Reeves, a 7th grader at Lois E. Carter Middle School in Warren, Michigan, immediately sprang into action.An onboard video camera captured the frightening incident and the footage was later shared at a press conference. The clip shows the driver contacting dispatch to let them know that she wasn't feeling well and needed to pull over. As she was slowing down, she passed out.Reeves, who was sitting five rows back, "jumped up from his seat, threw his backpack down, ran to the front of the bus, grabbed the steering wheel, and brought the bus to a stop in the middle of the road," the school's superintendent Dr. Robert D. Livernois told reporters.Amazingly, while everyone around him was panicking and screaming, our pint-sized hero with the calm of a zen master, somehow managed to simultaneously steer the bus AND reach his foot over to press the brakes. He then yelled for someone to call 9-1-1."In my 35-plus years of education, this was an extraordinary act of courage and maturity on his part," Livernois said. "The actions of the student who helped stop the bus made all the difference today, and I could not be prouder of his efforts."What Happened After the 7th Grader Stopped the BusOnce the middle schooler got the bus to a complete stop, two witnesses — a guy who happened to be walking down the street and a woman driving behind the bus — stepped in to help.A letter posted to Warren Consolidated Schools' Facebook page, revealed that the police and fire crews arrived quickly on the scene. "The Warren Police and Fire Departments responded very quickly, tended to the driver, and the students were safely loaded onto a different bus to make their way home."No injuries to the children on the bus were reported.First responders transported the 40-year-old driver to the hospital. Doctors released her two days later. Livernois stated that the school board hired her in July 2022. She had no previous history of fainting and had passed a mandatory medical exam at the time of hiring.According to a GoFundMe page, the driver is a mother to three young children, aged 8, 7, and 4. Doctors believe she may have suffered a seizure. Under Michigan law, it is illegal for her to operate a vehicle for a minimum of six months. Any money raised will go toward her medical bills, mortgage, and living expenses until she can return to work. So far, $6K of the 20K goal has been raised.The 7th Grader on Being a Hero & Saving the Day Reeves spoke out about his courageous rescue in an interview with Fox2 News. He shared that at the time, he wasn't trying to be a hero, he was just trying to do what was right."I was just thinking just to do the right thing. I just got up and just did what's right."- Dillon ReevesSpoken like a true hero. And while he may not think of himself as a superhero, the rest of the world sure does. The story has gone viral. The family is receiving thousands of messages from people as far away as Berlin, Germany.Reeves also received a mayoral proclamation from the mayor of Warren, Jim Fouts, for his "outstanding leadership skills, alertness and bravery during a crisis." He will also be receiving a commendation from the school board sometime in the near future.Dillon Reeves may only be in the seventh grade, but he is living proof that courage knows no age. And that even in the face of overwhelming adversity, we all have the power to do what's right.
A Virginia police officer’s quick thinking and lightning-fast reflexes helped to save the life of his fellow officer when he pulled her out of the way of a skidding car that had crossed a median and crashed into her police cruiser.The unexpected incident happened when Gate City Police Department Officer Jessica McGraw was responding to an accident on Highway 23, six miles from the Virginia-Tennessee border.She radioed in a request to confirm the status of a driver's license and Officer Matthew Stewart answered her call, meeting her at the roadside location.How One Person’s Instincts Stopped a Police Officer From Getting InjuredGate City Police Department / FacebookAs they were reviewing files by the side of the highway, Stewart suddenly clutched on to Officer McGraw and yanked her away from her patrol SUV.A thirteen-second dash cam video showed a white sedan crashing into the side of the large police vehicle, which was propelled back and narrowly missed both officers.While they were chatting, Stewart had looked up slightly and noticed a white vehicle that seemed to be skidding on the other side of the highway. Before he knew it, that vehicle was careening across the median and that’s when he pulled a puzzled McGraw away from her cruiser and out of danger’s way.Thankfully, both officers avoided any serious injuries in the collision. Stewart said his leg went numb “like I had a bad charley horse,” which was caused by the brush guard on the bottom of McGraw's SUV grazing his leg.How One Police Officer’s Quick-Thinking Saved a LifeThe shaken officers called in on their radios after the crash. Virginia State Police investigated the officer-involved accident, and the driver of the white vehicle was given a ticket for 'failure to maintain proper control of their vehicle.’"It is my belief the quick actions of Officer Stewart not only saved himself from serious bodily injury or death but also that of Officer McGraw," Virginia’s Gate City Police Chief Justin Miller wrote on the station's Facebook page.Officer Stewart graduated from the police academy in May 2016 and Officer McGraw completed the Southwest Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy law enforcement courses in 2020.Thanks to the quick thinking of Officer Stewart, both officers have now returned to regular duty.
Sergeant Jon-Erik Negron may have chosen the police academy, but he maybe should have gone to medical school instead. The police officer, turned accidental midwife, has delivered five babies in the past five years, earning him the nickname, "the baby whisperer," something he says is just "one of those crazy coincidences." Crazy, indeed.The “Baby Whisperer” Strikes AgainSCPD Police Officers/FacebookWhen Rebecca Reyes went into labor three weeks early at her home in Long Island, New York, Negron, 37, was one of four Suffolk County Police Department officers who responded to her 911 call.By the time the officers arrived, it was too late to take Reyes to the hospital. Her baby was coming, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him. Fortunately, Negron knew just what to do."I took the approach just like a coach in this situation," Negron told the press. "The first four [deliveries], I was there by myself doing it, like these guys were, so I said, 'Let me supervise and do what I can.'"Twelve minutes later, in the middle of the living room floor, Reyes gave birth to a baby boy — Owen Anthony Maldonado, weighing in at 6 lbs. 13 oz. Paramedics arrived shortly after to cut the umbilical cord and transported the healthy mother and baby to Stony Brook University Hospital.The SCPD shared the news of the dramatic birth in a Facebook post, writing in part:"While this is the third time Rebecca has been part of a baby delivery, one person in the room has her beat. This is the fifth baby delivery Sgt. Negron has been involved in as a member of the SCPD, earning him the nickname the "Baby Whisperer."How the “Baby Whisperer” Was Born Negron joined the police force in 2013, however, it wasn't until 4 years later, in 2017, that he delivered his first baby. It was an experience he'll never forget.He was helping a woman in active labor in her kitchen when the baby was born with the umbilical cord around his neck. He wasn't breathing. Negron had to use a turkey baster he found in a drawer to suck out the fluid in his throat. Today, he's the boy's godfather.“Of all the past families that I’ve had these experiences with I’ve kept in contact the most with Bryce Pappalardo and his family, not only was he the first child that I helped deliver but his parents asked me to be his godfather and we’ve had a special bond since then,” Negron said.Since that fateful day, he’s assisted with one delivery each year — including one on the side of the road — despite changing shifts, precincts, and positions. "I thought that my childbirth days were over when I became a sergeant this year and I guess the record lives on so we'll see how many we can take it to," Negron said.At this rate, that'll be a whole lot of babies.How the Police Officer Feels About Being the “Baby Whisperer”Although he doesn't have any children of his own, he figures when he does become a father, his "skills might come in handy." Skills he learned from watching a video on childbirth while attending the police academy.At the time, he thought it was “never going to happen.” Five babies down, it's a good thing he paid attention in class. It's an experience he's grateful to be a part of.“Being a part of five childbirths has been the most rewarding part of my career to date, and I can’t imagine anything topping that,” Negron said. “I’ve been asked a lot if I expect this to happen again, at this point I truly believe I’m put in these situations for a reason that I can’t explain but if and when it does I’ll be ready to embrace the challenge, and do my part to welcome a new life into the world.”
Children are capable of more than we think. They grasp information quickly and learn by observation.Recently, a 4-year-old boy from Big Lake, Minnesota was recognized with the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office Life Saving Award.The Prompt Action a 4-Year-Old Took When He Saw His Mom in PainPhoto by Mikhail NilovMother of 3, Rachel Milless, was home with her sons while battling the flu last November. Rachel, a registered nurse, knew she was sick enough to admit herself to the emergency room. As she was getting ready to drop her kids off at her sister’s house and drive to the hospital, she had a coughing attack."I felt like I was breathing through a straw and it was terrifying,” Rachel said, “And then eventually I just didn't feel like I was breathing well at all.” Rachel suffers from asthma and has a nebulizer at home to help her breathe. While trying to reach her nebulizer, Rachel collapsed on the kitchen floor. At this moment, her 4-year-old son Asher stepped into a laser focus to help his mom. "He just instinctively brought the nebulizer over and plugged it in and hooked it up and put all the meds in it," Rachel said. "He held it to my face and said, 'Just breathe, mom,' and was practicing with me.” RELATED: Bus Driver Follows Her Gut After Seeing Little Girl Wandering the Streets Alone—Those Instincts May Have Saved a LifeAs this is already impressive, Rachel mentioned that she and her husband Tyler had never shown Asher how to use the nebulizer. He was able to use it from memory of watching his mom put the machine into action.The next thing Asher did was grab his mom's phone and hold down the side button. When Siri opened, he said “Call daddy.” The phone dialled Rachel’s father who alerted other family members of the situation and called 911.Shortly after, Asher’s dad Tyler was able to reach his son. He stayed on the phone with him until first responders arrived. "Asher said, 'Mommy needs help ... she's on the floor,’ and then it was just a matter of continuously asking him questions," Tyler recalled. "My biggest struggle was trying to ask him if she was breathing but not that direct with him because I didn't want to scare him.”How One Little Boy’s Observational Learning Saved His Mom’s Life Tyler prompted his son to unlock the front door so that first responders could come in quickly. Asher did that, as well as give his younger siblings snacks and toys to distract them from the situation. Rachel was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. During her recovery, doctors told her, “Your 4-year-old saved your life.” All of the responders were extremely impressed with Asher’s ability to stabilize his mom and alert authorities. "They said if I would have waited any longer I would have been very sick and I wouldn’t be alive today," Rachel said. "So I owe it all to this little guy, who is my guardian angel. Without him, I probably wouldn't be here.”This past February, the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office recongnized Asher with its Life Saving Award. He is the youngest ever recipient of the award. Rachel and Tyler are still in disbelief that Asher was able to stay so calm when he needed to. "It just amazes me because he's a wild 4-year-old," Tyler said. "He's all over the place all the time, but in that moment he knew that mom needed help and he needed to be calm.” Through a scary incident, Rachel and Tyler learned to never underestimate the ability that kids can have. They learn from watching their parents. Asher’s curiosity and observational learning saved his mom’s life.
On a typical Monday morning in East Hampton, New York, a couple found themselves in a harrowing situation that could have gone terribly wrong if it weren't for the quick thinking and actions of a nearby police officer and her colleagues. “Have you ever done this before?” Cody Vichinsky asked East Hampton Town Police Officer Grace Peterson as the two knelt next to each other on Vichinsky’s front porch.“From the other side,” Officer Peterson responded, “Twice.”A Pregnant Woman Goes Into Labor on Her Front PorchThe pair were kneeling next to Vichinsky’s wife, Lauren, each holding one of her legs. Lauren Vichinsky was about to give birth to the couple’s second daughter — right there on the porch. A few minutes earlier, Officer Peterson had been assisting a woman who had fallen and broken her arm, when a call came in that a woman was going into labor.The 19-year police veteran sprinted to her car, and rushed to the house, pulling in to find Lieutenant Daniel Toia putting an oxygen mask on Lauren Vichinsky, who was on all fours on the front porch, in visible pain. “She was crying and timing her contractions with her phone — they were about two minutes apart — and she told me she had the urge to push,” the officer told local news. “It was her second child, so she knew that things were moving quickly. I could tell by her face that we were going to have that baby.”Though officers were trained in child delivery, for Peterson that was 19 years ago, and she largely relied on maternal instinct. Masterfully, she was able to orchestrate the scene, get necessary supplies and direct other officers on the scene -- who admittedly would have been lost without her. How One Woman Followed Her Instincts to Deliver a BabyThe local police chief even admitted that in his almost 3 decade tenure on the force, he had never seen a child delivery before. The other officers on the scene, both male, also acknowledged that Grace Peterson managed the scene instinctually, much to their relief. “Grace, it was like she’d done it a million times,” her colleague Toia said. “I asked her, ‘When the hell did you get an M.D.?’ She put on an outstanding performance. I’m really glad she was there.”Cody Vichensky, the new father, also added that “[Grace] was in the zone, instinctively. She was directing everybody, and you could see she was thinking about each step ahead of anyone else.”RELATED: Struggling Pregnant Waitress Sleeps in Her Car – Then Her School Teacher Changes Her Life With One MoveHowever, the delivery was hardly an easy one, and almost took a turn towards the tragic. As Lauren Vichensky started to push, and the head of the baby started to become visible, something was clearly wrong. “The head popped out, and she was blue as a Smurf,” Cody Vichinsky recounted. “She wasn’t breathing. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck.”Officer Peterson's quick thinking and swift action might have just saved the day. According to local news, she recounted, “It was scary. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck, and I could see fluid in her nose and mouth. I unwrapped the cord and was able to flip her over, and I put my fingers in her mouth and cleared out the fluid. And Cody got something, a suction thing, from the house, and was able to clear out her nose." How One Police Officer’s Quick-Thinking Saved a LifeFinally, to the great relief of everyone there, the baby released a cry, and was delivered. “I wanted to hear that cry so desperately," Peterson remembers.About an hour earlier, the couple first knew they were in for a surprise when Lauren Vichensky doubled over in pain at their East Hampton home. When she started to feel contractions, the two rushed out the door, but never made it past the front porch as the contractions intensified and quickened. “We’re walking out the door, and she stopped, and next thing I knew she was on all fours in agony and couldn’t move — it suddenly got very real,” Cody Vichinsky recalled.“Without those officers, I don’t think my daughter would be alive,” he said. “Officer Peterson, in our house, will always be a hero.” Peterson went above and beyond the call of duty in a remarkable way, and was able to assist two strangers in one of their most intimate, important, and vulnerable moments. Officer Peterson is certainly a hero, but humbly maintains: “Lauren was the hero on that porch. I’m just happy I was there to be able to assist her. Mother’s Day should definitely be a full week.”
