Byron Wilson, with his mother Jessica Mullins beside him, is among several local people honored for saving lives.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CENTRALIA – Eleven individuals were honored yesterday for acts that saved a life or made a difference in someone’s life at the Red Cross Real Heroes Breakfast of Lewis County.
The event held annually at Centralia High School is a fundraiser for the American Red Cross Mount Rainier Chapter, meant also to inspire folks to prepare for the unexpected, for example by taking a course in CPR.
A huge audience heard the following stories yesterday:
Lifesaver Rescue Hero
Terry Boyet
Boyet, an off-duty firefighter-paramedic, was with his family at the Tilton River in Morton over the Fourth-of-July holiday when he noticed a teenage boy thrashing in the water as if he were drowning.
A fully clothed Boyet jumped into the river, retrieved the teenager and pushed him toward his parents.
Workplace Safety Heroes
Kristina Maxwell and Nancy Owens
Maxwell, an employee at Thorbeckes Fitlife Center in Centralia and Owens, a nurse, went to the aid of a man who collapsed while working out at the gym in June.
The women performed hands-only CPR for 10 to 15 minutes, for the man was breathing on his own when medics arrived.
Fire Rescue Hero
Byron Wilson
Byron, 4, saw flames smoldering in a crawl space and yelled to wake up eight family members who safely escaped their burning home in Ethel in January.
His shouting alerted his family even before the smoke alarm was triggered.
Spirit of Red Cross Hero
Chief Matt Hadaller
Hadaller exemplifies the award for his contributions to the citizens and the fire service he served for 26 years.
The work of the chief of Lewis County Fire District 3 in Mossyrock was cut short when he suffered a heart attack while at home, on call and died June 27.
Water Rescue Hero
Randy LeDuc
LeDuc was fishing on the Cowlitz River in July of last year when he saw a jet boat that had slammed into a stump and was taking on water.
In the strong current, he steered his boat to the two fisherman and helped free their boat.
Medical Rescue Heroes
Jordan Beaver, Mary Buzzard, Jerry Rader, Wendy Rader
The four were at work at Cardinal Glass in Winlock when a co-worker collapsed in December.
They performed CPR for nearly 10 minutes on George Ruff until paramedics arrived. Today, Ruff is back on the job.
Youth Humanitarian Hero
Nicole Beck
Seventeen-year-old Nicole, diagnosed in February with cancer, was awarded a “wish” from the Make-a-Wish foundation, and gave it away.
The W.F. West High School student is using the money from the foundation to upgrade the six tennis courts at her school.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
CONGRATS TO THESE HEROES OR AS I WOULD CALL THEM,”GODS EARTHLY ANGELS”.THEY ARE AWESOME!! I WOULD ALSO LIKE THE RANDLE E,M,T,S MENTIONED AS HEROES AS THEY HAVE SAVED MANY LIVES HERE IN RANDLE,