Heroic 11-Year-Old Saves Life with TV-Inspired CPR

Connor Fitzgerald, an 11-year-old from California, never imagined his summer beach day would turn him into a local hero. Thanks to a life-saving CPR technique he happened to catch on TV, Connor saved a young girl's life.

Like many kids their age, Connor and his friends began digging in the sand, competing to see who could dig the deepest. Suddenly, Connor felt something hard beneath his fingers.

"There's something here," he shouted to his friends, alarmed.

Connor demonstrates the CPR technique he used, during a local media interview.

"It's a girl, I can't believe it. A girl," he yelled. Indeed, it was a five-year-old girl who had become 'buried' under the sand, unbeknownst to any of the adults nearby.

The friends tried to move the girl, but she didn't respond. "She's dead, she's dead," they cried and backed away in panic, but Connor remained calm. Instead of panicking, he took those crucial minutes to perform the CPR technique he had seen on TV—a move that saved her life.

Later, when the incident gained media attention, Connor demonstrated to reporters how he rescued the girl from the sand, step by step. "First, I dug around her head to clear all the sand so she could breathe," he explained. "Then I dug around her body, pulled her out, and started the CPR."

Connor's father, Tim

A few minutes later, the little girl, named Alyssa Bostick, regained consciousness.

Meanwhile, Connor's friends alerted several adults who called an ambulance—only when the paramedics arrived and assessed the situation did they realize what a miracle had occurred.

In an interview with the media, Connor's father, Tim, expressed immense pride in his son for not losing his composure and doing what needed to be done. "I'm proud of my son for his quick thinking and decision-making, and I'm glad he could pause and think, 'Wait, something is happening here and no adults are around. I need to take charge and do something,'" he said.