By Ashley Tusan Joyner, as published in the Belleville News-Democrat .

Molly Carver says the last 10 months have been pretty hard -- but she's glad to be alive.

Nearly a year ago, the Edwardsville teenager was a passenger in a car that veered off the road and struck a utility pole near the driveway of her home.

The force of the crash splintered the pole, dropping live power lines onto the vehicle. As she tried to step out of the car to safety, Molly received a near fatal jolt of electricity, setting her heart into cardiac arrest.

When a team of local firefighters and paramedics responding to the car crash arrived, the girl was unconscious, not breathing, pupils fully dilated.

But the emergency responders were able to save her life thanks to the rounds of CPR previously administered by two bystanders -- neighborhood doctor Keith Byler and Stuart Marshall, Molly's viola partner, who was also a passenger in the automobile.

"Thank you so so so so so much for being so thoughtful and caring," Molly said Monday during an awards ceremony honoring local heroes like the crew that kept her alive.

"Without you, I would not be here today," she said. "Thank you. I'm good."

On Jan. 3, Molly returned to Edwardsville High School as a part-time student. She has spent the last 10 months relearning nearly all of her motor, communication and breathing skills.

On Monday, the St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross recognized 12 local residents as Lifesaver Award recipients. The honor has existed for more than 20 years to celebrate the work of professional rescuers, who respond to emergencies as part of their line of duty, and everyday people, or good Samaritans.

Edwardsville Fire Department Capts. James Anderson, Brett Milton, Robert Morgan and Mark Parker received Lifesaver Awards Monday.

Eleven-year-old Girl Scout Paige Stemm, of Belleville, had learned the Heimlich Maneuver only three weeks before saving her grandmother's life at the start of a school day last April.

Marsha Palmer, 52, was eating a bowl of Cheerios and bananas with her mother and Paige when she began to choke at the breakfast table. She could not breathe, cough or talk, but was able to alert Paige by grabbing her throat and motioning that she was in trouble.

Paige stepped behind her grandmother and performed five sets of abdominal thrusts before successfully dislodging the food from Palmer's throat, enabling the woman to resume regular breathing.

"I thank God that Paige was with me that morning and came to my rescue," Palmer said. "She will always be my hero and I owe my life to her."

Paige, a fifth-grader at Whiteside Middle School in Belleville, and other members of Girl Scout Troop 162, learned the emergency tactic as part of their junior badge program.

"Paige handled the situation in a calm manner, which is absolutely incredible," said troop leader Timothy Clear, who nominated Paige for the Red Cross Award. "She personifies what a Girl Scout is at all times."

Paige, who was also honored with a national Girl Scout Medal of Honor Life Saving Award in July, wants to be a master chef when she grows up. But, she says she'll always keep current on her lifesaving skills training.

"It feels really good to know that she's still here," she said. "It was the best thing I've ever done in my life."

Others from the metro St. Louis area also were lauded Monday.

Two AAA employees revived a coworker who had lost consciousness after a seizure in their O'Fallon, Mo., workplace. A St. Louis woman performed CPR for seven minutes to save her husband after he suffered a heart attack in their bedroom.

"I try and tell people to get trained. You don't have to put an incredible amount of energy into it," said Marshall, who learned lifesaving skills as a Boy Scout and student at Edwardsville High School. "Just be prepared to step in if you're ever needed."