At the Oct. 21 Mat-Su Borough Assembly meeting, Mayor Edna DeVries presented two extraordinary members of the community, Maud and Russell “Eddy” Edmonds with a “Citizen Life Saver Award” for a quick response in a moment of crisis by providing lifesaving aid to a young girl in distress.

Below is a description from the borough about the Edmonds’ heroic response to a neighbor in need.

On the evening of July 29th, they were driving down Trunk Road when they noticed an overturned ATV on the side of the road. Many individuals would have kept driving. It isn’t uncommon to see a disabled vehicle along the roadside and for people to continue on their way without stopping. In fact, it’s something often heard far too often in emergency services: “Caller reporting an accident … but they did not stop.”

But the Edmonds did stop.

They trusted their instincts. They cared enough to check. And in doing so, they saved a life. When they looked more closely at the ATV, they found what no parent ever wants to imagine, a young child, pinned underneath, unconscious, not breathing. Russell lifted the machine while Maud called 911. He removed her helmet, and the child eventually took a breath as they prayed over her.

Incredibly, she regained consciousness and, miraculously, she was able to be discharged from the hospital the very next day. As parents themselves, the Edmonds saw someone else’s child and treated her as if she were their own. Their compassion, their courage, and their willingness to get involved made all the difference that day.

On behalf of Mat-Su Borough and this community, thank you, Maud and Russell, for being the kind of neighbors who care enough to stop, care enough to act, and care enough to make a difference.

It has been our honor to present these two folks with this Life Saving Award, and to express, on behalf of the Borough and this community, our deepest gratitude for stepping up to help that day.

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