Coral Gables to honor teen hero

She dove underneath him and grabbed the toddler by the arm, scooping his diapered bottom up with the other hand. Then she used her feet to push herself back to the surface -- handing the boy off to her dad who was waiting on the patio, still trying to piece together what had happened.

Lauren is 13.

Her quick action that April 19 evening meant that Michael -- the son of friends visiting the Mahaliks' Coral Gables home -- didn't need any CPR.

``She acted so fast,'' said her mother, Cathy Mehalik. ``He was still stunned. He didn't even cry right away.''

Added her dad, George Mehalik: ``She went in there faster than a shot. It was amazing.''

Tuesday, the Gables City Commission will recognize Lauren for her heroics.

``She's always been an excellent swimmer,'' said Mehalik. His daughter started swimming lessons when she was 2.

The G.W. Carver Middle school eighth-grader had just finished dinner and was brushing the bottom of the pool that day. Michael, the toddler, was watching the brush move back and forth, hypnotically.

``He leaned forward a little bit as he was bending over and when he went to stand up, he lost his balance and he fell in,'' said Cathy Mehalik, who was washing the dishes and saw everything from the kitchen window.

``My husband ran from the table and my daughter ran from the other side of the pool and they both tried to grab him put he was already down. The kid is stocky. He just went down like a rock.''

The next thing she saw was Lauren in the water.

``I didn't even get outside, it happened so fast.''

Lauren's Girl Scout Troop leader Kay Brezina wasn't surprised to learn of the rescue.

``Lauren makes a decision quickly and does what needs to be done,'' Brezina said. ``She's not the kind of girl who plays around to see what she wants to do. She carries through.''

Although Lauren may not have thought much about it before she jumped in the pool, she sure has thought about it since.

``It's something I'll never forget,'' she said. ``I know there's a lot of kids who drown in pools and I think it's special that I saved somebody.''