GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR, NL – Brooklynn Rogers said her heart was pounding and her stomach was hurting as she ran home for help on March 9, 2016, after she and friend Chloe Cuff found John MacSween lying motionless on the sidewalk.
The girls were on their way home from school for lunch and went their separate ways when Cuff called out to her friend, alerting her that a man needed help.
Rogers’ instincts kicked in. She told her friend to stay with MacSween while she went to get her parents.
MacSween was experiencing cardiac arrest.
Keith and Sabrina Butt went to his aid after their daughter came home in a panic. Sabrina performed CPR until paramedics arrived on scene.
McSween credits the young girls with saving his life.
“I was very fortunate…it was a big event in my life, one I won’t soon forget,” MacSween said.
Chloe Cuff, Brooklyn Rogers, Keith Butt and Sabrina Butt received Rescuer Awards from the Canadian Red Cross in recognition of their efforts to assist MacSween on that day in March 2016.
Rescuer awards are bestowed on non-professional rescuers or off-duty first responders whose actions save a life, prevent further injury and/or provide comfort to the injured.
The ceremony took place during a town council meeting in Grand Falls-Windsor on Feb. 13, 2018.
“I’m glad that he was okay, I was really nervous that he wasn’t going to make it,” said Rogers.
