Incredible moment hero teenager, 15, SAVES the life of three-year-old family member drowning in swimming pool by pulling her out and performing CPR on her after learning it at school
- Maxine Atkinson, 3, crawled into the family’s pool on Thanksgiving Day
- She was pulled from the water by a family member, but was clearly not breathing
- 15-year-old cousin Madison performed CPR and was able to save the girl’s life
A 15-year-old California boy used her CPR lessons to become a local hero after watching her three-year-old nephew drown in the family’s pool over Thanksgiving.
Home video cameras show Maxine Atkinson, 3, crawling into the backyard on the morning of the family celebration.
Minutes later, her uncle saw her floating face down in the pool, while aunt Kirsten Atkinson described her as ‘lifeless’.
As Maxine’s uncle called for help and attempted to perform the Heimlich maneuver, Kirsten’s 15-year-old Madison Atkinson immediately ran outside and began CPR.
“Madison pumps for a few minutes, and eventually Maxine starts opening her eyes and breathing,” Kirsten told the Today Show.
A 15-year-old California boy used her CPR lessons to become a local hero after watching her three-year-old nephew drown in the family’s pool over Thanksgiving
“The dispatcher said, ‘Put her on her side.’ And when we did, Maxine opened her eyes and literally started breathing on her own.”
Madison is the captain of her high school’s junior varsity cheerleading team and had also taken a sports medicine class where she learned CPR.
“I saw him try the Heimlich,” she said of her father. “But I knew you needed CPR in that case because it looked like she wasn’t breathing. I told everyone I knew CPR and it calmed everyone down.”
“I was just trying to remember what to do,” she added. “I was like, let’s get this baby alive, no one else knew CPR.”
What struck mother Kirsten most was that Madison never overreacted during the life-saving incident.
“The whole time Madison is there, she’s just calm, cool, collected and not panicking,” she added.
Paramedics were shocked to discover the heroic teenager’s age upon arrival.
“Their faces said, this could have been so different,” she said. “They praised her and said she, you know, performed a miracle.”
Home video cameras show Maxine Atkinson, 3, crawling into the backyard on the morning of the family celebration. Minutes later, her uncle saw her floating face down in the pool, while aunt Kirsten Atkinson described her as ‘lifeless’.
As Maxine’s uncle called for help and attempted to perform the Heimlich maneuver, Kirsten’s 15-year-old Madison Atkinson immediately ran outside and began CPR.
Madison is the captain of her high school’s junior varsity cheerleading team and had also taken a sports medicine class where she learned CPR
Little Maxine has since made a full recovery, but just in case the rest of the family plans to undergo CPR training themselves
Kirsten Atkinson said the whole ordeal gave a whole new meaning to the Thanksgiving holiday.
“We could have celebrated Thanksgiving some other way, right? “It was about, you know, how precious life is and how things can change in the blink of an eye,” she said.
Little Maxine has since made a full recovery, but just in case the rest of the family plans to undergo CPR training themselves.