PLACENTIA : Girl, 11, Honored for Saving Boy in Pool

As classmates looked on, an 11-year-old girl was presented with a special award for heroism on Friday, three months after she helped save a boy who was drowning in a public pool.

As Rachel Littell received the medal, Treasury bond and plaque at the ceremony, she met 6-year-old Sean Parry for the first time since she rescued him from the Pearson Park pool in Anaheim.

Like any other boy and girl their age, both were shy and exchanged only a few words. But after the ceremony at Ruby Drive Elementary School, each vividly recalled what happened on July 12.

Sean, who had been swimming with a group from his summer day camp, had carefully made his way from the 2-feet-deep section of the pool to the 3-feet-deep portion, clinging to the side.

“I accidently let go of the side and I tried to grab hold of this kid and he just passed me,” Sean said. “I put my arms up in the air and that’s the last thing I remember.”

Nearby, Rachel was about to climb out of the pool when she spotted Sean lying face down in the water, making no movement.

“He just stayed there for a long time and he never came up,” she said. “I went under water, looked up and his eyes were closed.”

Rachel then called for help, thinking that the first thing she should do was to “just pull him out.”

“It was maybe for one or two seconds and then I pushed him up,” she said. “The lifeguard was there and I was pushing him and she was pulling him.”

Once they got Sean out of the pool, lifeguards administered CPR. Paramedics arrived in about three minutes.

Because of the quick action, he made a full recovery and is even taking swimming lessons, said Monique Parry, Sean’s mother. At the ceremony, sponsored by Westec Security Inc., she thanked Rachel and gave her a bouquet of flowers.

The Westec Award for Youth Heroism is presented to youngsters 16 and under who save lives or prevent injury by acting bravely in emergency situations. Rachel was the 35th recipient of the award, which was created in 1989.

Rachel, who has been swimming for about three years, said she hopes to join the swim team when she gets into junior or senior high school. Even though she had gone swimming regularly for three years, she said the near-drowning was never something she thought she would encounter.

“I walked home from the pool that day and I was shaking,” she said.