Nurse's Quick Action Saves Child

On May 17, a relaxing birthday vacation became a lifesaving experience for Brenda Wallace, RN, Inpatient Cardiac Rehab. As Brenda and her husband Randy prepared to lounge by the Hilton Hotel pool in Clearwater Beach, FL, a 3-year-old’s lifeless body was pulled from the water.

“I knew something happened when I saw the color drain from my husband’s face,” Brenda remembered. “I turned around and saw the boy.”

As the rescuer yelled for help, Brenda rushed over. She found no pulse or signs of breathing. “No one else was helping, so I knew if I didn’t, he would die,” said Brenda, who has over 40 years of nursing experience.

She tried breathing air into his lungs, but his airway was blocked. She thought back on her 10 years in Cardiology and remembered how a patient’s tongue can cause the blockage. She pulled his chin up, which opened his airway.

Brenda started doing chest compressions and again remembered her hospital training. “I was so thankful for our new CPR training. I kept hearing in my head the computer telling me deeper, deeper. It was just like I practiced,” she said.

After about two minutes of CPR, the child started breathing, and Brenda detected a pulse. As she turned the boy on his side, pool water ran from his mouth and he continued breathing. In just a few minutes, Brenda helped bring the boy back to life and back to his family.

A visit to the local Emergency Department revealed the boy suffered no brain damage from lack of oxygen or injuries from CPR. In fact, his mother called and told Brenda the doctor said, “Someone gave your child top-notch CPR.”

Brenda tears up recounting the call from one mother to another. “She was so grateful her son was alive.

I have a son, and I remember when he was that age,” Brenda said.

Looking back on the experience, Brenda believes she was put there that day to help the boy. Ironically, her travel plans changed due to COVID-19, and Florida was an alternate location. Also, the couple rarely goes to the pool because they prefer the beach. “I felt very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time that day,” Brenda said.

Be Prepared

Enroll in a CPR class or register your child for a swim safety class at NKCH.

  More articles

Kim Shopper

Kim has worked at NKCH for nearly 40 years where she produces the employee newsletter and manages internal campaigns. She is a board member for the Kansas City Health Communicators, and she is passionate about animal rescue and volunteers for the Parkville Animal Shelter.