Ava McCormick, 6, tightly held the hand of Stella Maziarz, 5, because that’s what girlfriends do during harrowing and good times.
Both girls were able to celebrate their friendship Friday because Ava and four young lifeguards worked together to save Stella’s life at the Aztlan pool in Denver. She nearly drowned while swimming on Aug. 14.
Ava and the guards, Alaina Larson, 20, Myrisa Garcia, 15, and Zach Stout, 17, along with Anita Muniz, 21, received the “Neighborhood Hero Award” from the Daniels Fund and were honored by the Denver Police Department for heroism. Muniz was on vacation and couldn’t attend the ceremony at the Daniels Fund office in Denver.
The young lifeguards “showed outstanding CPR skills, teamwork and quick thinking,” Deputy Chief John Lamb said.
Ava was cited for her bravery when she alerted the lifeguards after Stella sank to the bottom of the deep end of the pool. Ava said she felt a bump against her leg, noticed it was Stella, then dived underwater and pulled her friend up by the head and to the side of the pool.
“I was scared,” Ava said. “I called for help.”
Larson pulled the child out of the water, then she and Garcia took turns administering CPR.
“I was scared but calm,” Larson said. “Nervous but confident.”
Muniz stood nearby, on the phone with a 911 operator, while Stout stood by with a heart defibrillator at the ready.
“Her eyes were rolled back into her head and she had vomit in her nose and eyes,” Stout said.
Both Ava and Stella were with a YMCA day-camp group that visited the swimming pool each Friday, said Stella’s mother, June Schlesinger. Schlesinger is a real estate agent who was at work when she got the news her daughter had been taken to Denver Health Medical Center.
“She wasn’t OK. She was screaming and her eyes weren’t open,” Schlesinger said. “I’m glad Ava and the lifeguards had their eyes on her; no one else did. The lifeguards and Ava saved her life, and I really appreciate that.”
Each of the lifeguards took courses through an American Red Cross lifeguard program that collaborates with Denver Aquatics and the Denver Parks and Recreation Department.
“I’m so proud of them; they utilized the training they had,” said Serene Virtue, a pool supervisor at Aztlan.
The young lifeguards got plaques and $250 each from Daniels Fund officials. Ava and Stella got plaques and $500 each, along with other gifts. Stella got a teddy bear with pink swim goggles, a gift from her young heroes.
“It was my first summer being a lifeguard, and it was a lot of drama,” Garcia said, “but now I’m prepared for anything.”
Annette Espinoza: 303-954-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com
