Karen Wessel (died July 22, 2014) was the recipient of the Carnegie Medal in September 2015.
On July 22, 2014, while swimming in Star Lake, an 8-year-old boy struggled in the waters while trying to return to shore. Wessel, a single mother, swam out to him, grabbed him, and repeatedly pushed him above the surface of the water. A man in a pontoon boat responded and recovered the boy from the water and revived him, then recovered Wessel, who was floating just beneath the surface of the water. The man and medical responders attempted numerous times to revive her, but she had drowned. Wessel and the boy were taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The boy made a full recovery.
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