PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — On an afternoon in May 2017, Michelle Botting told her daughter Lexus, 8, she felt tired and was going to lie down and take a nap. Not long afterwards she woke up barely able to breathe.
Today, Botting credits her daughter’s quick actions for allowing her to receive medical attention in the nick of time.
When she called her primary care provider, the woman was told to simply schedule an appointment for a later date. But Lexus, sensing that her mother was having a serious health crisis, called 911 and told the dispatcher what her mother was experiencing.
“After the paramedics got here, I knew she was in good hands and that she’d be safe,” Lexus said at her home in Presque Isle Thursday, May 17.
Lexus had been home from school early that day because of a medical appointment. Botting recalled that during the ambulance ride to The Aroostook Medical Center someone — likely Lexus or a paramedic — called Michelle’s brother and he brought Michelle’s older daughter Diane, 10, home from school. He waited with Diane until her father was able to bring her to the hospital.
Botting later learned that she had developed pneumonia, an illness made worse by asthma, and remained in the hospital’s intensive care unit for a week.
“Lexus sat in the back of the ambulance and in the waiting room very calmly,” Botting said. “I might not have been here today if she didn’t call 911.”
Lexus has now received recognition for her bravery. On May 5, 2018, Girl Scouts of Maine awarded the young hero a Medal of Honor, an honor that recognizes Scouts who have “shown presence of mind and true Girl Scout spirit while saving or attempting to save a life without risk to their own life.”
The guidelines for the Medal of Honor state that applications must be requested within 60 days of the incident and submitted no more than six months later. Lexus and her mother wrote their own statements about the medical crisis and also got a statement and signature from the paramedics who assisted Botting.
Mother and daughter submitted their application two months after the incident and learned that Lexus would receive the award six months ago.
Lexus said that she embraced the lessons she has learned from Girl Scouts as the catalyst for being so calm during the emergency.
“I knew that when I called 911 I had to stay calm and not worry, because if I did, then that wouldn’t be helpful for my mom,” Lexus said. “I felt that it was my job, not just as a Girl Scout but as a person, to make sure she was safe.”
