Mariah Gallaway (wearing a cape on July 18) saved her great-grandmother in an emergency.
In just a split second, these quick-thinking kids sprung into action and saved lives. Now PEOPLE is recognizing the real-life heroes in this week’s issue.
Second Grader Rescues Great-Grandmother Pinned Under Car
Mariah Gallaway, 8 (pictured above)
It was a typical January afternoon. Patricia Lynch, 80, picked up her great-granddaughter Mariah Galloway from school and drove the then-second grader to her West Bloomfield, Mich., home. But as Lynch stepped out of her SUV, she mistakenly placed the vehicle in reverse instead of park.
“The car kept moving — and I was in it,” recalls Mariah, now 8. “She tried to stop it and couldn’t.”
Lynch’s foot became lodged below the front left tire, which rolled over her legs, leaving her pinned underneath.
“I was crying a lot,” says Mariah, “and scared.”
Still, the schoolgirl jumped from the back seat and pulled the key from the ignition, stopping the car from rolling.
“I was shocked because I didn’t know what happened,” says Mariah’s mom, Porchia Lane, 35. ”Blood was everywhere.”
“I spoil her rotten,” says Patricia Lynch (right, during a hospital visit after her great-granddaughter, Mariah, saved her life).Courtesy Porchia Lane
Courtesy Porchia Lane
Paramedics rushed the retired accountant to a hospital, where she remained for three weeks. Miraculously neither leg was broken, but Lynch sustained serious injury to her right leg, making it difficult to walk.
Looking back on the nightmare, she’s grateful to Mariah, who hopes to become a doctor. “She dashed to the door to get help for me,” says Lynch. “She is a good, smart girl. She will always be my heart.”
For more on hero kids, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.
Brothers Save Friend from Drowning
Weston Woods and Noah Roche.Courtesy Sylese Roche
Courtesy Sylese Roche
Weston Woods, 8, and Noah Roche, 12
On a lazy day in June, Noah Roche was chilling at his apartment complex’s pool in Fenton, Mich., when he noticed his friend, Griffin Emerson, then 7, in distress.
“He was at the bottom of the pool,” recalls Noah, 12. “He wasn’t really moving except his arms were just wiggling a tiny bit.”
Noah immediately dispatched his younger brother Weston Woods, 8, to go to the deep end of the pool.
“They’re a team,” says Sylese Roche, whose sons Weston (left) and Noah (center) saved friend Griffin (right) in June.Courtesy Sylese Roche
“I had goggles on and dived there,” says Weston. “I saw Griffin’s eyes were shut, and I quickly picked him up. Then his head started going up and down. I thought he was dead.”
With help from an adult, Weston lifted Griffin to safety while Griffin’s mom performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Fortunately, Griffin quickly regained consciousness and has made a full recovery.
“Those two boys are heroes,” says Griffin’s grandfather, Tom Kinczkowski, 61. “Their ability to think quickly and to get Griffin out of the pool saved him. If it wasn’t for them, Griffin wouldn’t be here.”
Boy Saves Grandmother and Cousins in Fire
Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican
Asaya Chavez, 10
Remembering a firefighter visit to his school, Asaya, 10, knew exactly what to do.
“They told us if you smell smoke, get out and evacuate everybody,” recalls Asaya, who quickly helped his 64-year-old grandmother to safety.
The aftermath of the fire.Courtesy Donna Remero
Courtesy Donna Remero
Moments later, “the roof started to crack and fell,” Asaya says.
Although everything in her house was destroyed, Jaramillo feels relieved: “We’re all safe. That’s all that matters,” she says, breaking into tears. ”Asaya did it all.”
Granddaughter Revives Grandmother with CPR
Aubrey Johnson.courtesy Jackie Conley
courtesy Jackie Conley
Aubrey Johnson, 11
A loud thump alarmed Aubrey Johnson as she watched YouTube videos at home in Catlettsburg, Ky., in March. After running to the living room, she discovered that her grandmother Donna Duncan, 55, had fallen out of the wheelchair and was unresponsive on the floor.
Aubrey and her grandfather, Jackie Conley, 69, tried to wake up Duncan to no avail, so Aubrey quickly called 911.
“They didn’t know that I was a child,” says Aubrey, 11, who has lived with her grandparents since her mother died in 2019. “They told me to check to see if she was breathing and to check her pulse.”
“I’m very grateful,” Donna Duncan says of granddaughter Aubrey Johnson (with Duncan in March).Courtesy Jackie Conley
Courtesy Jackie Conley
With her phone on speaker, Aubrey followed the dispatcher’s instructions and correctly performed CPR on Duncan for 10 minutes until paramedics arrived.
“If it wasn’t for Aubrey, I wouldn’t be here,” says Duncan, who suffered a cardiac arrest and spent five nights in the hospital, but has since made a full recovery from the incident.
Adds Conley, who often takes his granddaughter fishing: “Aubrey is amazing.”
Seventh Grader Steers School Bus to Safety
Dillon Reeves during the frightening moment aboard a school bus.Warren Consolidated Schools
Warren Consolidated Schools
Dillon Reeves, 13
Seventh grader Dillon Reeves, of Warren, Mich., was on his way home from school in April when he looked out the window and saw the bus veering into oncoming traffic.
”The driver’s hands weren’t on the wheel, and her foot wasn’t on the pedal,” he says.
Determining that she was unconscious, Dillon, 13, grabbed the steering wheel and slowly pressed the brake to bring the bus to a standstill as dozens of kids were screaming.
”It was chaotic, and I said, ‘Someone call 911!” says Dillon.
“Look out for each other,” says Dillon (accepting an award from councilman Jonathan Lafferty, left, and Patrick Green, right, in May).Warren City Council
Warren City Council
Warren police and emergency responders arrived within minutes to treat the driver, and all60 students disembarked with no injuries.
“Dillon had developed the skills of observation. Instead of looking at his phone, he sprang into action quickly. I encourage all students to be ready for the unexpected,” says Warren Mayor James Fouts, who honored the teen with a key to the city.
“He is a shining example of a good citizen," Fouts adds. “He helped avoid a disastrous situation.”
source: people.com
