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Local girl saves fellow camper’s life

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

Sarah Stillwell, a Fayetteville resident and rising senior at Fayette County High School, was expecting to have a relaxing time while attending Camp Glisson, a Methodist camp, this summer. However, plans changed during a lunch one day where Stillwell went from camper to hero.

“Each cabin was sitting around and eating their lunch of corn-dogs in a weird way,” she said. “This girl’s group was feeding each other their corn-dogs and I guess, they tried to feed her again before she had chewed her previous bite.”

Stillwell noticed that Tracy started coughing, which meant she could still breathe, but soon she stopped breathing and one of her cabin mates tried to give her the Heimlich maneuver, but it wasn’t working. Stillwell pushed her way through the crowd and gave her the Heimlich maneuver with enough force to dislodge the corn-dog.

“I learned the Heimlich maneuver in health class and then saw my aunt perform it once on my cousin,” said Stillwell, who was presented with a plaque and a certificate citing her as a “Hero of the Week.”

She also received a journal, a bookmark and a hat. The girl, whom Stillwell only knows as Tracy, was taken to the nurse’s office and was a little shaken up but otherwise fine.

Stillwell’s advice to others who find themselves in a situation similar to hers is to not hesitate.

“I hesitated for a minute and afterwards thought about all the what-ifs; what if I didn’t make it to her in time...” Stillwell said.

Tracy referred to Stillwell as her guardian angel after the incident, but Stillwell deflects much of the credit, seeing it as something that anyone would do.

Stillwell is looking forward to her senior year and is beginning to eye colleges. Though she doesn’t know where she will be going yet, she is considering majoring in theology. Stillwell attends Inman United Methodist Church. She hopes to attend Camp Glisson next summer as a camp counselor.