A Suffolk County teen is nationally recognized for lifesaving actions that saved her mother during medical emergency. She is the first Suffolk County Girl Scout in recent memory to receive this extraordinary honor.
Girl Scouts of Suffolk County presented Ambassador Girl Scout Diana Hubschman, 17, a high school junior from Mastic Beach, with the Medal of Honor for her act of bravery that saved her mother’s life, during a special award ceremony. She is the only Suffolk County Girl Scout in recent memory to receive this prestigious national award.
The Medal of Honor is reserved for Girl Scouts who have demonstrated extraordinary heroism, saving or attempting to save a life while exemplifying the values of the Girl Scout Promise and Law.
Diana was recognized for her extraordinary actions during a family medical emergency, when her mother, Dawn, suffered a sudden and severe cluster of seizures at home on January 27, 2025.
“She wasn’t responsive to me at all,” said Diana. “In between every seizure, instead of there being a break, it was continuous with muscle spasms in between. I knew something was very wrong.”
Diana immediately took control of the crisis: ensuring her grandfather, who was recovering from open-heart surgery, was safe; moving her mother away from danger; crating the family dog to avoid accidents; timing and monitoring her mother’s seizures; rolling her to her side to maintain an open airway; and calling 911 to report that her mother was on her 14th seizure and struggling to breathe.
Diana coordinated with dispatchers, secured care for her grandfather, and insisted on riding in the ambulance so she could speak on her mother’s behalf when she was unable to do so.
In total, her mother suffered 16 seizures and a stroke within 20 minutes. If not for Diana’s quick and calm actions, it is likely her mother would have died.
“Saying I am proud of her is not enough,” said her mother, Dawn Hubschman. “I’ve always told her she’s my guardian angel.”
“I think it took until just now for me to realize it was happening,” said Diana about receiving the national award. “This is one of the biggest honors I have ever had. It’s so unreal.”
“We are really thrilled to be able to bestow this,” said Tammy Severino, President and CEO of Girl Scouts of Suffolk County. “Diana is a future leader and a person who is lighting the torch for future girls to say, ‘that’s who I want to be like.’”
Suffolk County legislator Jim Mazzarella presented a proclamation Hubschman saying, “At just 17 years old, Diana showed incredible courage and quick thinking earlier this year when she saved her mother’s life during a medical emergency. Her calmness under pressure and selfless actions reflect maturity and strength far beyond her years.”
Mazzarella added, “Diana is a shining example of the Girl Scout mission to build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. Our community is deeply proud of her, and I was humbled to join her family, troop leaders, and fellow Scouts in celebrating this well-deserved honor.”