Quick-thinking sisters, both 9, become unlikely heroes after saving drowning girl, 4, who 'turned blue in the water'
Ava and Addison Apostopolos, both nine, pulled a drowning girl from the pool during a visit to their grandmother at the Hillside Apartment Complex and quickly sought help - ultimately saving her life, according to WXYZ Detroit News.
The twin sisters were honored this week by the Wixom City Council and the police chief for their heroic actions, receiving the police department's prestigious Civilian Citation Award.
'I am very happy she's alive now, and I hope she's having a good time,' the twins told the outlet. 'And I'm happy.'
Last month, while swimming in the apartment complex's pool, the pair spotted a terrifying sight - a little girl lying motionless at the bottom of the water.
'I got goggles to go under,' Addison recalled.
Without hesitation, Addison dove into the pool, swam to the bottom, and pulled the unidentified child to the surface.
At that moment, Cody Boyette - a maintenance technician for the apartment complex - was startled near the end of his workday when one of the girls burst into the leasing office, urgently pleading for help.
Cody immediately abandoned his closing duties and rushed to the pool, where he pulled the four-year-old out of the water.
'She was totally blue, not breathing,' Cody told CBS News. 'When you see a kid in that stress, you kind of think about your own kid in that situation. If it turns bad, it can turn south really quick.'
While another adult called 911, Cody quickly checked for a pulse and administered rescue breaths - miraculously reviving the little girl.
'I think we had maybe minutes before it would have been too late for anybody to do anything,' he told CBS.
'I'm just glad I was in the right place at the right time.'
Thanks to the quick and courageous actions of Ava, Addison, and Cody, the child was rushed to the hospital and survived what could have been a catastrophic tragedy.
Despite their efforts, both Ava and Addison were left in shock by the terrifying ordeal, struggling to fully grasp the gravity of the life-or-death situation they had helped to prevent.
'She asked me if I was okay so I could share my feelings too,' Addison told WXYZ about the emergency responders.
Now, more than a month after the incident, the girls are beginning to embrace their roles as heroes - recognizing that the experience they endured was both meaningful and life-changing.
'Happy that we were in the right situation,' Addison said.
According to their father, Jason, the incident has 'really been a wonderful thing for them and our family,' as reported by WXYZ.
'The city of Wixom really honored them, and that was wonderful, and they were really proud of that,' he said.
'We're just all about helping, we're aware of our surroundings and taught them the same thing, if you see something, do something.'
Cody expressed admiration for the girls' swift response to the unresponsive child, adding that he holds no blame toward anyone for the incident.
'I think it was 100 percent a freak accident. You look away for a second, stuff can change in the matter of a blink of an eye,' he told CBS.
In the end, he urged everyone to take a CPR or first aid class, stressing the importance of being prepared to act when an emergency strikes.
'I'd rather try to help and do what I can than stand there knowing I'm doing nothing,' Cody added.
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