APPLETON, Wisconsin (WISN) — An 11-year-old girl in Appleton is being recognized as a hero after performing CPR on her mother during a medical emergency. The incident took place a few weeks ago when Josie Pethan was home sick from school in Appleton.
Josie noticed something was wrong when she was in the living room with her mother.
“Then she sat down, and she was reading something, and then she kind of just went a little bit crazy,” Josie said.
The quick-thinking girl immediately called her grandparents for help. Moments later, a 911 dispatcher called the house and guided Josie through the steps to perform CPR on her mother.
“She was able to start getting her mom on the ground, getting ready to start the compressions,” 911 dispatcher Brenda Dawes said.
EMTs arrived at the scene and took over the life-saving efforts, transporting Josie’s mother to a hospital. Her mother is now recovering and doing better.
The Appleton Police Department Tuesday presented Josie with a certificate and challenge coins, which symbolize achievement in law enforcement.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.