A North Carolina father jumped into a pool to save his 2-year-old daughter after she stopped breathing while swimming over Memorial Day weekend, ABC7 reported Thursday.
The Gastonia Police Department released surveillance footage that shows the girl’s father using CPR to save his daughter’s life, according to ABC7.
“My 10-year-old daughter is screaming out my youngest daughter’s name. Mila! And she just screamed it really loud. I looked and turned around and saw my 2-year-old daughter floating,” Mila’s father told Gastonia Police. (RELATED: ‘Pretty Much Limp’: Former NFL Star Describes Saving Niece And Son From Drowning After Weeks In ICU)
Amazing pool rescue and CPR. A Gaston County father saves daughter on Memorial Day. The Gastonia Police Department wants all families, everywhere, to be cautious at pools, lakes, and beaches. Know CPR, use life vests, and have a plan. #GastoniaNC @redcross_NC @Redcross pic.twitter.com/OgIPl6I1xg
— Gastonia Police (@GPDNC) June 20, 2024
Mila’s mother told police that she felt “completely hopeless, like my baby is dead. How am I going to live my life with my baby being gone.”
The surveillance video shows Mila’s father jump into the pool and get his daughter out of the water and onto the side of the pool before he begins CPR. Mila’s mom then rushes over, kneels beside her daughter and helps administer CPR.
“But when I got there and knelt beside over her it looked far worse than I could have imagined,” Mila’s mother said. “Because my baby that’s only two-and-a-half was laying there dead looking. She was completely blue and gray.”
Mila’s father told police that when he lifted his daughter up and tried to release air trapped in her stomach by compressing her back, his daughter released the air and started to cry.
Mila was transported to a local hospital where she recovered, ABC7 reported.
“But role now is going to be that an adult, myself or my husband, is in the water with the children,” Mila’s mother said.
“So my advice to everyone is to be up-to-date on CPR,” Mila’s father said. “If you’re by a pool, you need to know how to give mouth-to-mouth.”
According to the Gastonia Police, 9 out of 10 children between the ages of 1 and 14 who died from drowning were being supervised by adults.
