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Just before Spring, with perfect 70° weather, Dad Art was resting in the backyard after working in the yard. Two-year-old Hunter was playing nearby under the wooden jungle gym.
All of a sudden, Art realized that Hunter wasn’t by the jungle gym. Art jumped up, called for Hunter, searched the yard, and called out again, and his wife, Carrie, came outside. They searched, and then their slow walk rapidly turned into a panicked run when they saw their “usually locked” gate open. As Art headed in the direction of a retention pond that was about 1,500 feet from their home, he ran past several houses. One of their neighbors yelled that he has just seen their two-year-old.
As Art, Carrie, and the neighbor frantically raced to the top of the berm, they found Hunter. The terror, horror, and fear in Carrie’s piercing scream and the image of Hunter floating face down in the pond are impossible to remove from Art’s memory.
Art waded out – about ten feet – and grabbed Hunter. Art had taken CPR in college, so the basics of what to do seemed to come back to him. He worked on Hunter, but there was no response. Art didn’t stop; he continued the compressions even though no water came out and no air seemed to be going into the lungs. In desperation, Art slung Hunter over his shoulder, totally upside down, and ran back to their house.
By now, Carrie had a neighbor’s phone and had called 911.
The act of turning Hunter upside down caused some water to come out of the lungs, so Art continued with CPR, pushing on his chest in order to get air within the small body. Slowly, Hunter started responding, crying, and then throwing up; still Art continued.
In about nine minutes, the rescue unit arrived. Carrie rode in the ambulance as Hunter was taken to Wolfson’s ER. Upon their arrival, he was quickly examined. The doctors found Hunter in pretty good shape, but decided to keep him overnight to run tests to make sure there were no further complications. Art stayed by his side, and, thankfully, no damage was found. In the parents’ words, the Wolfson staff, doctors and nurses were awesome!
Usually swift and silent, drowning can occur in as little as one inch of water, and a child will lose consciousness two minutes after submersion. With drowning as the 2nd leading cause of injury-related deaths among small children, Wolfson Children’s Hospital rigorously teaches water safety sponsored by Kohl’s Cares for Kids.
In only a minute or two, life can change. Thanks be to God that Art knew CPR, that his CPR was continuous, and that Wolfson Children’s Hospital is here with the very best care for our children. |
