BROOKSVILLE – On Veterans Day, former members of every branch of the military were honored at a public gathering at the local American Legion Post 186. During the ceremony, American Legion Program Chair Patti Motzer presented the Youth Hero Award to a young man for his courageous actions.
On February 13 of this year, Tristan Conway, then a student at Springstead High School, witnessed a fellow student lying on the ground suffering from a severe asthma attack outside the theatre building. Due to the time of day, the girl’s mother was present, but she was too disabled to be able to move her daughter to a safer location to get help.
That was when Conway stepped in and helped move the student out of the way of others who were rushing to and fro. The 18-year-old senior was himself hobbled in a walking boot, but he chose to be the one to help save the girl’s life regardless.
Once her mother had called 911, Conway reassured the girl and followed the operator’s instructions to the letter. He did so until ambulances arrived shortly thereafter. His brave actions were recognized by Springstead Principal Dana Pierce the next day.
Motzer found out about his heroic actions through Facebook and wanted to honor the student as well, but there was a complication – he was already 18. The certificate was supposed to go to a youth, meaning 17 years old or younger, but “as far as I was concerned, he was a youth hero,” Motzer said. So, she got to work on finding an exception for Conway. As Motzer put it: “I’m like a dog with a bone. Don’t get me started.”
In a Zoom meeting with her department’s chairperson, she informed the members on call of the issue. After gaining the permission of various presidents and chairmen, she filled out a form to the national offices. She eventually received a letter back from the National Children and Youth Chairman thanking Tristan for making a difference in his community.
“It’s a great honor,” said his mother, Nathalie Schorr. “It’s a great recognition. Tristan has been a wonderful son. He’s the youngest of ten children and he has exceeded all our expectations. He’s a good student, he’s a good friend, he’s a good son.”
Tristan is a responsible young adult and is doing well in school, his mother added. Further still, he is an eagle scout and worked as a lifeguard at Buccaneer Bay as a summer job. These two roles likely informed the now 19-year-old Conway’s actions on that fateful day. Something else came out of that scare, too: a friendship.
“We’re just proud parents,” Schorr said. “To have it officially recognized was amazing. The mother of the young girl that we’ve been in touch since. We exchange messages once in a while. We check on each other. It’s created a friendship […] We’re very proud, and the fact that it was actually recognized by the community, the school, and the American Legion is an honor.”
