Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: February 25, 1974
• Invested on: June 17, 1977

Sister Suzanne Morissette, M.B., Gray Moore, N.Y., U.S.A.
Thomas O'Neill, M.B., Vancouver, B.C.
Medal of Bravery

Through the joint efforts of Sister Suzanne Morissette and Thomas O'Neill, a three-year-old child was rescued from a fire in Vancouver, which claimed the lives of the child's parents, on September 3, 1972. When he saw smoke billowing from a house, Mr. O'Neill leaped from his car, rushed up the steps and pounded on the front door, while his daughter went to notify the fire department. Breaking a pane of glass he was able to open the front door. Sister Morissette, who lived nearby, joined him and the two made their way into the house but heavy smoke prevented them from finding the occupants. Someone informed them where the bedrooms were located and the rescuers, protecting their faces with wet towels, went again into the building and found the three-year-old girl. The child almost certainly owes her life to the persistence and bravery of her rescuers.