Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: October 25, 1994
• Invested on: June 23, 1995

Rachel Rioux, then six years old, risked her life to save that of her five-year-old brother on July 25, 1992, in Cacouna, Quebec. The two children were riding on a tractor with their father when he got down to attach some logs with a chain. The little boy accidentally activated the gears at the back of the tractor and his sweater became caught in the drive shaft. Rachel saw that her brother was choking and managed to free him, but her left hand was mangled in the process. Although the boy was not hurt, Rachel was driven to the hospital, where she underwent more than twenty-two hours of reconstructive surgery on her hand.