Little girls are usually thought of as princesses, needing their tears to be wiped off and always tugging on mommy’s dress for what they want. This was not the case with Caleigh Concannon. She has just been given an award for ‘Community Hero” because of her heroic act that people can’t believe she was able to do by herself.

Caleigh is a 4 year old girl born in Walpole, Massachusetts. She is a dog lover, so much that she asked her mom to co-volunteer with her at the local service dog training center. These characteristics of a little girl with an open heart and a willingness to help were already an indicator of the hero she is.

The local service-dog training center is called ‘Golden Opportunities for Independence’ and helps those with disabilities to live their lives more independently. The center trains golden retrievers from a young age, whilst they are still puppies so that they can be used for support and therapy in the community. It is these dogs that Caleigh fell in love with and wanted to take care of.

Caleigh’s mom, Heather, and Caleigh started their first shift in the fall of 2017 where they were helping out the cute dogs. Caleigh, as a 4 year old, could not handle much hard labor so she filled the dogs bowls with water. Little did they know that the dogs weren’t the only ones that needed help that day.

When Caleigh needed the bathroom, she knew where it was so she asked her mother for permission to go and Heather told her to go ahead alone. When Caleigh walked into the bathroom she saw a man who according to her was sleeping on the floor, she ran back to her mother immediately and told her there is a man on the bathroom floor.

If her mom knew what Caleigh would find on the bathroom floor that day she would have definitely rather went with her, but what is impressive is the calm way the 4 year old handled the terrifying situation. The man that was lying on the floor was Dr Michael Flynn, director of operations at the center.

Dr Flynn was not sleeping, it turned out he had an epileptic seizure and needed urgent medical attention. Caleigh’s help saved Dr Flynn’s life and prevented a very unfortunate end to his life. Why was Caleigh able to handle this situation with such a level-head? How did she know that she had to go and call for help immediately?

Caleigh knew what to do because her dad has diabetes and sometimes he loses consciousness so it was vital that her parents teach her what to do in case of emergency if she found her dad collapsed and that is to call her mother for help. Her mother was able to get Dr Flynn medical help when she figured out he was having seizures.

Everyone was surprised at how well Caleigh handled such a situation, even her mother who had herself taught Caleigh an emergency reaction. She said that “you teach your children lessons and how to act in certain situations, but at the end of the day she is 4 years old, I really did not expect such a level-head from her”. What did Dr Flynn think?

The man who benefited most from  Caleigh’s bravery, Dr Flynn, was in awe when he heard how he was saved. He said, “I am so proud of her, I am just in awe at the responsibility and the seriousness and her perception in handling the situation”. If it had not been for Caleigh, Dr Flynn might not be alive today.

Emergency services in the local area of Walpole admired Caleigh’s maturity so much that the Walpole Police Department honored her with a special ‘community hero’ award and free cinema tickets for her to enjoy. Caleigh was thrilled, all she did was what she thought was best, what her mom taught her and she was being honored so much for that.

The Police Department also went to social media to celebrate Caleigh. They posted the following on Facebook, “This morning Chief Carmichael, Deputy Chief Mackenzie, and several members of the Walpole Police Department presented a young girl with a Community Hero Award. The award was presented to Caleigh in recognition of her actions during a recent medical emergency”.

The post continued to shout Caleigh’s praises, “To thank Caleigh for her actions Chief Carmichael presented her with a Community Hero certificate and a positive ticket for a free movie at Showcase Cinemas. So from all of us here at Walpole Police Department, congrats Caleigh. You are a real HERO”. Caleigh really made a big difference in her community on that day.

The post had 400 reactions on Facebook, 23 shares and tons of Facebook comments that said she was cute and did a beautiful deed. How Caleigh saved Dr Flynn will forever be remembered by the community of Walpole and will inspire people to always be ready and willing to help others around them. Caleigh really is a hero.

We cannot forget the other real hero, Heather, if she had not taught Caleigh how to react in emergency situations then Dr Flynn’s might have not gotten any help. Good things happen when you listen to your parents, the golden retrievers at Golden Opportunities for Independence are in great hands.