‘I can’t thank her enough’: 7-year-old Whitesville girl who saved sister from drowning awarded

Third-grade student Charlotte Bissett knows how to stay calm in a crisis, an attribute that earned her the Girl Scouts National Medal of Honor.

The seven-year-old from Whitesville showed her mettle last December when her younger sister, two-year-old Eleanor, began having a grand mal seizure while taking a bath.

Charlotte’s quick thinking may have saved Eleanor’s life. She held her sister’s head above the water while the seizure was taking place and called for help.

Charlotte, the daughter of Kayla and Tom Bissett, of Whitesville, is a Brownie-level member of Girl Scout Troop 60222 within Service Unit 453 Rambling Rivers.

“She didn’t even realize what she did was heroic and saved Ellie,” Kayla Bissett, a Whitesville kindergarten teacher, said. “She just knew she had to keep her head out of the water. I kept saying to her, ‘Good job’ afterward. And she said, ‘For what?’

“She thinks (well) on her feet. She kinda knows what to do without being told. I can’t thank her enough. If she hadn’t held her head above water I don’t know if the outcome would have been as good.”

Charlotte Bissett holds up the Girl Scouts Medal of Honor while her sister Eleanor, parents Kayla and Tom Bissett and officials from the Girls Scouts and Whitesville Central School stand by. Charlotte was presented the award at the school on Sept. 27, 2022 in recognition of saving Eleanor from drowning in the bathtub.

Medal awarded for Charlotte’s ‘heroism and sound judgment’

Charlotte’s steady response during a crisis garnered the attention of both the NYPENN Pathways Council and national Girl Scout leaders.

“I’m proud of Charlotte’s courage, confidence, character and display of both presence of mind and Girl Scout spirit in an emergency,” said Julie Dale, CEO of the NYPENN Pathways Council. “Charlotte’s heroism and sound judgment personify all we instill in Girl Scouts and are a testament to the highest principles of our Promise and Law.”

Charlotte Bissett, 7, of Whitesville, N.Y. The Girl Scouts awarded the third-grade student a Medal of Honor, one of the highest national awards the Girl Scouts bestow, in recognition of Charlotte saving her young sister from drowning in the bathtub.

In a letter to Charlotte, GSUSA CEO Sofia Chang wrote: “Through your willingness to take decisive action in the midst of an emergency, you have not only saved a life but also served as an example for all Girl Scouts.”

While her parents and little sister looked on Tuesday in the Whitesville school gymnasium, Dale presented Charlotte with the Girl Scouts of the USA’s National Medal of Honor.

The medal — one of the highest Girl Scout national awards — is given to a girl who displays of heroic act “beyond her degree of maturity and training for saving a life or attempting to save a life without risk to the Girl Scout’s own.”

Whitesville school officials, along with Pathway Council staff and local troop leaders attended the Medal of Honor presentation to a very excited Charlotte.

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Sister fully recovered after seizure

Kayla Bissett said Eleanor has fully recovered from the seizure and is a healthy and happy little sister. The incident was attributed to a low-grade fever that spiked after Eleanor got into the bathtub.

And Charlotte, who will turn eight in November, has plenty to keep her busy when she’s not being a hero. Her mother said she is taking lyrical dance, enjoys ballet and loves the time she spends with her family, being a Girl Scout Brownie and going to school.

The Whitesville school community feels the same about Charlotte.

Said school principal Renee McNeely, “I am beyond proud of Charlotte. She is a true hero and an inspiration to us all.”

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