Not All Heroes Wear Capes: DVC Cast Member Receives Disney Heroes Award
Guests and their families visit our Disney Parks and Resorts each and every day to escape to a world full of magic, fantasy, and heroes. But, when real-world troubles pierce that fantasy world, Guests may find the most compelling heroes they interact with aren’t wearing crowns or capes – they’re wearing Disney Cast Member nametags.
The Disney Heroes Award recognizes and honors Cast Members, Crew, or Employees who perform extraordinary life-saving acts on or off the clock. Recipients of this esteemed award have been from Disney locations from the U.S., Tokyo, Germany and beyond, and are nominated on behalf of fellow employees for their heroic deeds. Over 850 Cast Members across the entire company have been recognized as Disney Heroes since the award’s inception in 2008. Disney Vacation Club Cast Member, Nichole Shaw, is one of those heroes.
On a bright spring day last year, Nichole was performing her duties as a Disney Vacation Club Sales Experience Manager – observing and advising her Cast Members as they inform and engage guests at various Walt Disney World Resort Hotels. As she headed toward the colorful lobby of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort on her daily rounds, she heard a loud cry for help from a mother across the room. The woman was carrying her young daughter in her arms as the child was choking.
“It stopped me in my tracks,” Nichole recalled. “I ran over as fast as I could and asked her permission to help.”
Nichole immediately began administering back blows in order to clear the child’s airway. After a brief moment that felt much longer, Nichole heard the child cough up the obstruction. “The relief is hard to even explain… It was such a high adrenaline moment, but I’m so glad the end result is a little princess that was okay and a mom who could breathe a sigh of relief again.”
Despite her heroics during a tense situation, Nichole continued on with her workday. “I kind of snapped out of that moment and thought, ‘Oh my goodness, my Cast!”
Looking back at that moment, Nichole credits the culture of safety established at Disney which encouraged her to stay alert and prepared for any critical situation. As a parent she spent free time watching videos on how to save her own children from choking, which gave her additional knowledge needed to help this family in their moment of need.
“I believe if you stay ready, you never have to get ready. So, I knew exactly what to do when the moment came.”
Since its inception in 2008, the Disney Heroes Award has recognized over 100 Cast Members across the entire Walt Disney Company. Nichole hopes her story inspires others to recognize their own capacity for great things.
“It’s a reminder that I’m capable of anything, even the scary things. And I hope that as I continue on this Cast Member journey, that this will help others see that they have everything they need inside themselves to be a hero too.”
