As the fire department, sherriff and ambulance came and made sure Wyatt was okay, the rest of us were standing around pretty much in a state of disbelief that we almost lost one of our precious little children, and it could have happened to any of them. Ben had been sitting two feet from Wyatt who had been sitting on the edge of the pool above the steps with his older sister and friend in the pool next to him. Ben got up to check on the hamburgers and turned back around to find Wyatt missing. It was that quick people!!! Unfortunately there was an inner tube on the pool deck which was blocking Ben's view and so he was unable to see Wyatt in the water until he moved closer. It was then that he saw the two girls tugging at Wyatt who was face down and still. He quickly pulled him out and that is when Will saw Wyatt and immediately ran inside. Through everyone's quick thinking and Jodi falling on her knees in prayer as we ran out to help, God mercifully spared his life.
All I could think of as this was happening and pretty much every day since then, is that i had just been over there the day before to swim and Nikolas had been playing around the pool and I had been less than vigilant with watching him. So, of course, the thought that keeps going through my head is, "It could have been him, and could I have saved him?". It makes me shudder to think about it.
And to answer everyone's question, no, Wyatt was not wearing a life jacket. HOWEVER, it may not have helped anyway. It wouldn't have made a difference had it been Nikolas as whenever he has his life jacket on and I let go of him he immediately tilts forward and his face goes in and he is unable to right himself. That is just how it is with little kids as there heads are bigger than the rest of them proportionally and they don't have the skills or knowledge to move their limbs to float upright.
With that said, things will definitely be different for all of us when we are near water, even when Nik is just in his kiddie pool at home. I used to think it wasn't a big deal to leave NIk in it so I could run inside to grab something as the water is only up to his thighs, but now i am not so sure. It really does only take a second. We also are all wanting to take a first aid/CPR class as those of us who know CPR need the refresher course and the rest simply need to know it.
So here is my plea to the rest of you:
LEARN CPR.
YOU COULD SAVE A LIFE.
THAT LIFE COULD BE SOMEONE YOU KNOW.
SOMEONE LIKE WYATT.
DO IT NOW.Most every hospital has infant/child first aid and CPR classes. There are many places around that offer them as well. It is more than worth the price. At the very least, ask someone you know who knows it to show you the basics. Or even check out a book. Don't wait. Someone's life could depend on YOU.
2 comments:
Thanks for sharing our story so hopefully other people can prevent the same thing from happening to them. But I have to make one correction to the story. Wyatt was not IN the pool. He was OUT of the pool playing off to the side with Willy. He went back in of his own accord which is something we would never consider him doing. He always wears a lifejacket in the pool unless mom or dad are holding him so we aren't sure why he went in without one unless he fell off the stairs into the deeper water. His sister was not wearing a life jacket but she can touch for several feet at that end of the pool. But that fact probably helped save him too because Ben was being extra vigalent checking on the girls because they didn't have life jackets on.
So parents, always be sure to watch your kids around the pool. Even if you think they would never go in by themselves, they just might surprise you.
That story just terrifies me, Rebecca. Don't know if you heard the news report a few weeks back about the boy who drowned at White River state park near Maupin, but I happened to be one of the people there the day it happened. We tried frantically to get to him, but were separated by 10 feet of swift moving white water with zero access to the whirlpool where he was lodged. It was a very helpless feeling to be unable to get to him and to see his face as he was sucked under.
I attended his funeral last week.
This situation and my trauma after watching the whole thing, was followed by MEGAN (the smart one???) who jumped into a friends 5' deep pool with no lifejacket, FULLY CLOTHED, with no one around- was saved by my friend Christina who happened to see her go in from the kitchen window and the 'lucky' placement of a floatie toy in the middle of the pool which she was able somehow to grab onto.
Two days later, Summer and Noah, decide to jump into the pool at the country club without their floaties and of course, sink directly to the bottom and had to be pulled out by quick acting grandparents.
Needless to say, I'm a bit phobic about water now and agree with your charge to be trained in CPR!!
Great job! I'm SO glad the situation had such a wonderful ending.
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