National honor for Aurora, Illinois woman who rescued boy from icy pond in 2022

By Jacob Sarracino

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    AURORA, Illinois (WBBM) — An Aurora woman received national recognition Monday night for saving a 9-year-old boy.

Back in November 2022 on the day before Thanksgiving, a 9-year-old boy fell through the ice in a pond in the Fox Pointe apartment complex in Aurora.

The child had fallen in trying to get his football—yet when the boy went on the frozen pond, the ice cracked.

Within moments, Shannon O’Neal—who lived nearby—was wading out into the frigid waters.

The former lifeguard held onto the boy and was able to tread water for several minutes until rescue crews pulled them to safety.

On Monday night, O’Neal was given the Carnegie Medal for Heroism—often considered the nation’s highest civilian honor for heroism.

“You want my natural reaction?” O’Neal told CBS News Chicago in a Zoom interview Monday. She went on to belt out a scream of joy so loud that her computer cut out her audio during the recording.

O’Neal said she considers the award to be a legacy that she can pass down to her children and grandchildren.

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