Streamwood High chess player saves 7-year-old from drowning
Andrew Wilson said he was nervous about using his CPR training for the first time; he had heard stories about it not working.
The 16-year-old from Elgin was in Peoria on Friday for the state chess tournament when he jumped in to help a 7-year-old girl who had a seizure in a hotel swimming pool.
“I was glad and stunned that what I had done had actually worked,” Andrew said Monday. “I had heard stories of CPR working ... and not working.”
A sophomore in Streamwood High School's World Languages and International Studies Academy, Andrew got certified on CPR with Elgin Police Department's Explorer program.
He was staying at the SpringHill Suites on West Lake Avenue with his teammates. After a long first day at the tournament, he learned a young girl had a seizure in the hotel pool and needed CPR, quickly. A small crowd of children and adults ran into the lobby where a man pleaded for someone to give the girl CPR. The girl did not appear to be breathing, so Andrew stepped up.
The girl had been floating in the water and not breathing for a while, “so I was thinking it may be too late,” he said.
Andrew said he performed about 40 compressions on the girl before she revived, started coughing up the water in her lungs and began breathing on her own. An ambulance then rushed the girl to a hospital about 9:15 p.m. Friday.
He said the girl had thrown up before she became unconscious, so he knew not to use mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He focused on the rhythm of drum beats to time the compressions.
“I was taught that the compressions were the most important part,” he said.
Andrew — who wants to be a police officer like his father, Greg Wilson of the Elgin Police Department, or a lawyer — said he never expected to be in a situation like this. Though only two hours of training is required to be certified, Andrew has assisted with CPR training in his high school health class.
“My mind kind of just went blank,” he said. “I went into a mode where I needed to get there fast. All I was thinking about was if the person was going to be OK. I like helping other people feel safe. I'm thankful for the Elgin police for teaching me, because if they didn't, I'd just be another person standing there asking, ‘What's going on?'”
Andrew's mother, Aileen Wilson, said she was impressed with her son's composure under pressure and that his instinct kicked into “autopilot.”
“I'm unbelievably proud,” she said.
Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said Andrew is a prime example of how investing in kids through the Explorer program pays off. The program trains 14- to 20-year-olds on leadership skills.
“It helps them become more engaged with the community,” he said.
Andrew said he received a note from the girl's grandfather thanking him saying she now “can have a long and happy life.”
As for the chess tournament, Andrew said his Streamwood High team won only one game out of seven, yet the greater victory was saving a young girl's life.
“I'm just glad that she is OK and was able to go home the next day,” Andrew said.
• Victoria Berkow of The Peoria Journal Star contributed to this report.