Child Care Provider Uses Red Cross Skills to Save Four-Year-Old Girl
It was a beautiful warm afternoon in April when Laura went to pick up her baby at the home of Jackie Phillips, her child care provider. Thinking it would be a quick trip, she left her three- and four-year-old children in their car seats and ran into the house. While she was inside, her children got out of their car seats and began playing with the electric windows. When Laura returned to the car, she found her four-year-old daughter, Sasha, strangled, and hanging from the car window. Screaming for help, Laura ran back into Jackie Phillips' house carrying her lifeless child.
Quickly assessing the situation, Jackie Phillips, a retired nurse, sprang into action applying the skills she had renewed recently in an American Red Cross CPR course. First, Jackie directed her husband to call 911 and then she began rescue breathing. When the child failed to respond to her efforts, Jackie repositioned Sasha's head and tried rescue breathing again. Determining that Sasha's airway was obstructed, she dislodged the materials with abdominal thrusts and was able to begin CPR.
In spite of the noise and confusion caused by other parents coming in to pick up their children, Jackie remained calm and focused on trying to revive Sasha. Within a few minutes, Sasha was breathing on her own and began to cry. The fire department arrived within four minutes of Mr. Phillips' 911 call. Thanks to Jackie Phillips' quick appraisal, her calm response to an emergency situation, and strong CPR skills, Sasha has fully recovered from her traumatic ordeal.
American Red Cross Health and Safety Services
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Red Cross First Aid and CPR
Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC)
National Safe Kids Campaign
