3 Window Cleaning Stories for Saturday

Schoolgirl Holly hailed a lifesaver: Schoolgirl Holly Clayton has been hailed a heroine after she saved the life of a seriously ill window cleaner. The nine-year-old calmly raised the alarm when she spotted family friend Mark Hobson, 45, slumped in his van in a pub car park. Paramedics were called to bring diabetic Mark round from what he described as the worst "hypo" attack he had suffered in 20 years. Insulin-dependant Mark, who needs four injections every day, said: "She's my heroine. "I'm 45 years old and I've done quite a few things in my time, but I've never saved anyone's life. She's done it at nine-years-old. It was all thanks to Holly – she saved the day."
Hoole St Michael's pupil Holly was walking from her home in Anchor Drive, Hutton, near Preston, to the local shop when she noticed Mark parked in his van outside the Anchor pub. She thought he looked unwell and when saw he was still there on her way home she ran home to tell her father, James. Her next stop was the home Mark shares with his parents in The Dellway and they all went to the car park to try to bring him round. But with the condition being worse than usual, an ambulance was called. Thankfully, Mark regained full consciousness and did not need hospital treatment. Mark, who had not eaten breakfast that morning, said: "My blood sugars must have dropped and I went into hypoglycaemia. You can actually die from it if you're not treated. "Normally I can feel when my blood sugars have dropped so I deal with it myself but, on that day, I didn't feel it coming on, it just hit me all at once."
Holly, who was born on Christmas morning and has an elder brother James, 15, said: "I was going to the shop and I saw him in his van and didn't see him in a nice way so I ran back home and told my dad. "It's funny because I was actually going to buy me and my dad a bottle of Lucozade each and Mark needs stuff like that to help him." And Holly plans to carry on helping others – but animals rather than humans, as she wants to be a vet when she grows up.
Grateful Mark, who had just stopped for a cup of coffee, gave Holly some money and a box of Heroes chocolates to say thank you. He also wrote to Holly's school to thank her for her brave efforts and she has been given a special headteacher's award for her vigilance. Headteacher Kathryn Melling said: "Holly is a lovely, happy child who is always so caring of others. "We are so proud of her to be so quick-thinking and courageous." Holly's coal merchant dad James, 53, said: "If he had been left and nobody found him, he could have died because it was one of the worst attacks he'd had. " For a girl of nine, it was great presence of mind."

Remembering 9/11: Fabian Soto, 29, was a window cleaner at the World Trade Center. A native of Ecuador, Fabian believed in living for the moment. His wife, Elda says Fabian believed he would die young. Nevertheless, Fabian obviously kept his eye on the future; he worked extra hours to bring his wife to the United States, and was saving to bring his son, who remains in the care of grandparents in Ecuador. When the Trade Center was attacked, Fabian was washing the windows of the observation deck.

Roko Camaj, 60, was a hero when the World Trade Center was first attacked--in 1993. When a bomb sent smoke pluming throughout the towers on that occasion, Roko covered his mouth with a sponge so he could breathe, then helped a woman trapped in a stairwell to safety. A window cleaner, Roko loved his work--delighted in hanging at breathless heights over New York City. He was once featured in a series of children's books on dangerous occupations titled "Risky Business."

Ledua slings for a living: Once condemned by society as a criminal, Ledua Cagilevu has picked up the pieces of his past and used it to generate a better way to survive. He admits the work he does is risky, but it's something he's adjusted himself to so he can survive and support his young family. Unlike any other ordinary jobs, Mr Cagilevu spends the whole day mostly suspended on ropes from the exterior of high-rise buildings around the capital city. He specialises in maintenance work that includes welding, cleaning, painting and carpentry on the outside of Suva city's buildings. Mr Cagilevu said he met another former inmate and started a company know as Specialist Access Service design to do work in those hard to reach places on high rise buildings.
"I've been doing this job for the past ten years with help from my colleague and boss Amasai Koroi, he had special training overseas and returned to start a company in Fiji," he said. "This job changed my life around from crime." Mr Cagilevu supports his wife and three children - two of whom attend primary and secondary schools in Suva.
The Fiji Times met Mr Cagilevu and his crew working at the Pacific House's nine-storey building in Suva, suspended from ropes fastened to safety straps. Two men suspended on the exterior of the building began washing from top to bottom. Each worker equipped with window washes, a hose pipe and long wooden-handle scrubbing brushes -- swinging from side to side as pedestrian awe from below. "We conducted similar work at Fiji's tallest building, the Reserve Bank, other high-rise buildings like Tanoa Plaza and Suvavou House. "We hardly travel out of Suva unless otherwise because all the high-rise buildings are here," he said. "This is a good job and it pays well. On my first day I was a bit shaky, but now I not afraid of heights anymore. I've become used to it," he said.