A North Carolina father’s quick actions and knowledge of CPR saved the life of his 2-year-old daughter who nearly drowned in their family’s pool over Memorial Day weekend.
The Gastonia Police Department said a family was having a Memorial Day barbecue when things went awry when their 2-year-old daughter, Mila, fell into the pool without a flotation device.
Security cameras at the home captured the crucial moment as family and friends rushed to the aid of the young child, who quickly began to drown.
“My 10-year-old daughter was screaming my youngest daughter’s name – Mila! She was screaming really loud. I turned around and saw my 2-year-old daughter floating in the air,” Mila’s father, Matthew, told police.
“And I immediately jumped in and saved her,” he said.
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Mila, 2, has made a full recovery, according to the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office. (Gaston County Sheriff’s Office)
Mila’s mother, Amy, told police she felt “completely helpless” when she saw her baby lying motionless beside the in-ground pool.
“I felt hopeless. Total despair, as if my baby had died,” she said. “How could this have happened? How was I going to survive without my baby?”
Amy said the child looked pale.
Family and friends rushed to her aid when 2-year-old Mila fell into a swimming pool and began to drown. (Gaston County Sheriff’s Office)
Matthew told police that when he noticed his daughter had fallen into the pool and was not breathing, he immediately took action.
“She had air in her stomach, so I woke her up and hit her on the back to try to get the air out,” he said. “And she let the air out and started crying.”
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Police say the girl began breathing again and was taken to Caromont Health where she made a full recovery.
Surveillance camera footage released by the Gastonia Police Department shows the girl’s father jumping into the pool and immediately beginning CPR on his daughter. (Gastonia County Sheriff’s Office)
According to the Gastonia County Sheriff’s Office, nine of the 10 children who drowned, ages 1 to 14, were under supervision at the time of their deaths.
Mila’s mother said that from now on the whole family will be able to be in the water with adults playing with the children.
“But our role now is to be adults who get in the water with the kids, play with them and interact with them,” Amy says.
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Mila’s dad encouraged everyone to get “up to speed” on CPR.
“If you’re near a pool, you need to know how to give the vaccine by mouth-to-mouth,” he said.
