“You’re an asset to the community”

Young girl “hero” receives Saugus Police Department’s Life Saving Award for saving mom from choking

By Mark E. Vogler

Selectmen treated nine-year-old Camila Giron Guardado as the guest of honor at their meeting last week. Camila got to bang the gavel to open the meeting. She led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. Then she was honored as “a hero” for saving her mother from a choking incident.

“Tonight, we would like to recognize Camila for her outstanding efforts of bravery, heroism and dealing with a very stressful situation – potentially tragic that not many nine-year-old children would be able to go through,” Saugus Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli said as he presented her with the Police Department’s Life Saving Award.

“We’re very proud to have people like her living in our community. And I’m very proud because she actually lives on my street,” the chief said.

Chief Ricciardelli told the story of how police received an emergency 911 call from Camila on Nov. 5, stating that her mom was choking and couldn’t breathe. “She did not panic. She maintained complete control of her emotions throughout the length of the 911 call,” the chief noted.

“She gave critical updates to our dispatchers, followed the instructions that the dispatchers gave her as well as assisted with the translation to her mom. She speaks a limited amount of English,” Ricciardelli said.

Choking on a chicken bone

When police arrived at the Saugus Avenue home, Camila came running out of the house to greet the officers and lead them to her mom, Celina Guardado de Giron, who was lying on the kitchen floor, with her head resting on top of a pillow. “With Camila’s help, we were able to sit her up and determined that she had swallowed a piece of chicken bone,” Chief Ricciardelli said.

The firefighter EMTs transported Camila’s mom to MelroseWakefield Hospital, where the doctors discovered a small piece of bone that was clogging her airway.

Camila received a citation from the Board of Selectmen “for her heroic action during a time of emergency.”

“So, Camila, you’re a hero. How do you feel?” Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta asked her.

“Good,” Camila answered. She then explained how she reacted to the situation after discovering her mom in the kitchen. “She told me to call the police,” the girl said.

Then the five selectmen took turns praising Camila for her lifesaving act. “You were very heroic,” Panetta told the girl.

“It’s amazing how you went under control that whole time. You must have been scared, too,” she said.

Selectman Corinne Riley called her “a brave little girl.”

“That was a brave thing to do to stay focused on what you needed to do to help your mom,” Riley said.

Selectman Michael Serino said he hopes to have Camila around some day in case he encounters the same situation as her mother. “You’re an asset to the community, and I think some day you might make a great nurse,” Serino said.

“That’s a heck of a thing you did,” Selectman Anthony Cogliano said.

“You’re a hero and thank you from the Town of Saugus,” he said.

Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Jeffrey Cicolini told Camila the entire board was proud of her. “You are an amazing young lady and I’m so excited to know that someone nine years old can be so composed,” Cicolini said.

“And you kept your cool and you knew to call and you stayed on the phone. Those are things that are very hard to learn when you’re only nine years old,” Cicolini said.

“So, you’re light years ahead of a lot of children, I can tell you that – maybe even some adults. You are a hero and I hope that everybody recognizes that. Congratulations on an amazing job.”