Olive O'Gilvie (right) and co-worker, Valeta Williams. - Photo by Carl Gilchrist

A family is happy today because of the heroics of a member of the St John's Ambulance team, based in Prospect, St Mary, just a few hundred metres from the St Ann border.

The venue was the Buckfield playing field in Ocho Rios in October. A large crowd had gathered to witness an event onstage during a fair when a girl, about 14 or 15 years old, fainted.

While others panicked and started shouting that the teenager had died, it was left to a cool-headed Olive O'Gilvie to save the youngster's life by administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

In a letter brought to The Gleaner's Ocho Rios office by businessman and philanthropist Pixley Irons, and captioned 'The First Aid Lady of Courage', relatives of the child were full of praise for O'Gilvie's efforts.

The girl's uncle, Saymore Brown, wrote: "There was a fair at Buckfield playground and there was a little excitement onstage as a young lady shouted and fell to the ground. (There was) no response and (there was a) lack of breathing.

"One of St John's Ambulance first aid (attendants) ran to the scene and started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She then got her in the ambulance which took her to the St Ann's Bay Hospital. She tried to save a life even though there might have been a risk of HIV-AIDS.

"Big up St John's North Central Ocho Rios first-aiders and O'Gilvie from Gully Road, St Ann's Bay. Big up Ogilvie, wonderful. Keep it up. I admire this lady from St John's Ambulance. Dr Crooks says there is a bed spread in Heaven for you. Big up O'Gilvie and keep it up, you have done a good job, O'Gilvie. Big up O'Gilvie, the lady of courage."

When The Gleaner spoke with O'Gilvie on Wednesday evening after she left work, she said she felt "very good" about being recog-nised for the work she did.

However, the woman who has worked with St John's Ambulance for more than 20 years explained, "This is what we were trained to do, there's nothing hard for us in saving lives."

Little breathing

O'Gilvie said that when she got to the girl she wasn't breathing.

"People started saying she died but I said no. I pressed my hand like this (on her temple) and rest my head on her tummy and feel a little breathing down there. I tried to resuscitate her and, after we went into the ambulance, I continued."

O'Gilvie said the victim was frothing at the mouth and she had to clear the passageway so she could breathe, doing this by mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

"I couldn't allow it to go down," she explained.

The child later recovered after being taken to the St Ann's Bay Hospital.

O'Gilvie's co-worker, Valeta Williams, who was at the park and witnessed the incident, said everyone was happy that the girl survived.

"When we came back from the hospital people were asking if she died and we said no, they said 'Oh my God!' And the child's father, he was so happy."

O'Gilvie has been with St John's Ambulance for more than 20 years. She said it was not the first time she was saving a life.