Nearly four years ago, when Siana Armando (‘26) was hired at Nothing Bundt Cakes, she didn’t expect to save her manager’s life. Fortunately for the staff, Armando was experienced in seizure care and knew what to do when her manager had an unexpected episode. While the other staff were untrained, Armando called 911 and kept her manager and the store safe while awaiting the ambulance’s arrival.

For her heroic actions, Armando received a proclamation from Mayor Fleisher and Camden County Commissioner Cooley Fleisher on Feb. 9. Armando was honored to be recognized by the township and is thankful that her manager is unharmed. 

Earlier that day, Armando’s manager mentioned that she was feeling unwell, possibly having caught the flu. But Armando was aware that this could signal a future seizure — an uncontrolled shaking of the body that can last up to two minutes — especially considering that her 30-year-old manager has epilepsy.

 Armando spends a typical workday in the back of the store frosting Bundt cakes and restocking inventory, so she was able to keep an eye on her manager when she went to the bathroom. Armando suspected that she was throwing up, but when her manager was in there for over twenty minutes, she knew something was wrong.

She called over another co-worker, one of the manager’s best friends, to check on her. The co-worker found the manager seizing on the floor and called out to Armando for help, knowing that she had experience caring for seizures with her sister. 

“No one else was really doing anything because everyone was in shock and didn’t know what to do,” said Armando.

She instructed the co-worker to hold her manager’s head off the floor to prevent head injuries and advised her not to hold down her arms. At one point in the episode, the manager stopped breathing. Armando rescued her manager with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Armando’s instinctive actions stemmed from her experience with her younger sister’s epilepsy. When her sister was first diagnosed, Armando learned different strategies for helping her sister when she had episodes, giving her valuable experience treating seizures where she became CPR certified and learned first-aid basics.

“I ran over and helped her right away without even thinking,” said Armando. 

Once she knew that her manager was safe, Armando grabbed her phone to call 911 and locked the store to prevent customers from meddling with the emergency. When the ambulance arrived, Armando let the paramedics in the store, briefing them on the situation and her manager’s health history. The manager was taken to a hospital, and Armando was finally able to reflect on what transpired. 

Her quick-thinking saved the life of her manager, constituting her mayoral recognition well-deserved. The next school day, Armando walked the hallways like any other high schooler — an unsung hero.