Teamwork Saves Infant

Written by Stephanie Kriner, Staff Writer, RedCross.org

July 24, 2001 —  Tujuana Nelson, a worker at a Red Cross transitional housing facility for women and children in New York City, is accustomed to dealing with new mothers who panic when their babies become ill in the middle of the night. Oftentimes, the mothers overreact to symptoms that appear serious but are not life-threatening, such as minor fevers or earaches. However on a night last April, she knew that one baby was in grave danger.

It was a little after 1 a.m., and after dashing down nine flights of stairs, a breathless and barefoot young mother screamed out for help. "My baby stopped breathing," she shouted.

Calmly, Nelson looked down at the blue 2-day-old baby girl, who appeared to have choked on some milk, and took her from her mother's arms. "I happened to be standing there, and I said, 'Give me the baby,' and I administered CPR … I was just trying to stay calm and get the baby breathing," Nelson said.

American Red Cross staff receive presidential Red Cross Certificates of Merit and medals at the organization's Greater New York chapter headquarters (left to right): Deborrah Mitchell, the mother Tujuana Nelson; Director of the Family Respite Center Claire Sheedy; Emeka Efebi; American Red Cross in Greater New York Chief Executive Officer Robert M. Bender, Jr.; and Sarah Karim-Payne.

As Nelson tended to the infant, her nightshift coworkers quickly pitched in -- just as they had learned to do during Red Cross First Aid and CPR courses, required for their jobs.

As Emeka Efebi dialed 911, Sarah Karim-Payne took the hysterical mother aside to calm her down. "I just really felt like I was doing my job. Nothing heroic," Karim-Payne said. But within minutes, the baby began breathing again, the mother relaxed and an ambulance arrived. Today, the baby is alive and healthy.

The trio recently was recognized with presidential American Red Cross Certificates of Merit for the life-saving act. The certificates, signed by the President of the United States, recognize those who "save or sustain a human life and have successfully completed a Red Cross course in First Aid, CPR or aquatics prior to the performance of the life saving or life sustaining act."

"We do see a number of heroic moments," said Karen Johnson, the Red Cross employee who nominated the threesome. "This was the first time we came so close to losing one of our residents. Through the teamwork of three of our staff members, we were able to save a life."

The Red Cross "heroes" brush off the recognition graciously. "It's all part of my job," Nelson said. "I'm just glad that I happened to be in the right place at the right time."

Efebi said, "I think it's an honor to be associated with the Red Cross. I think the award belongs to the organization. We reacted because we were trained by the Red Cross in CPR and First Aid," he said. "The emergency just happened to occur during our shift."

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