When someone hears sirens going off it’s usually not for something positive, but sometimes those situations can turn out to be so.
Life-saving measures were taken by several individuals in Greene County recently to rescue a then four-day-old child in Jefferson. Police Captain Heath Enns and Officer Cole Jackson were the first on scene of the child who wasn’t breathing. Christy Smithson is the grandmother of the baby, Cecillia. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio that Cecillia had choked and aspirated while being breastfed. Smithson says it was caused by something in the back of the throat that didn’t allow her to swallow properly. She adds that before the police arrived, Cecillia hadn’t been breathing for close to an hour. Enns tells Raccoon Valley Radio he started CPR on the child the morning of June 12th.
“(When) EMS (Emergency Medical Services) arrived we transported the child to the Greene County Medical Center, where fortunately the staff at the medical center were able to get the heartbeat back from the child. As of now the child seems to be doing better each day (and) is alive and we’re very, very grateful for that.”
Enns adds the child was taken by helicopter to a Des Moines hospital where the child is recovering. He shares what was going through his mind that day.
“I have my own little one now and another one on the way and it really hits home when I see a child that age because I immediately picture my child. I picture how the family is feeling and it is very much heartbreaking. But I’m very, very happy that child was able to recover from that.
Enns says all Greene County law enforcement is certified to perform CPR on people of all ages. He highly encourages everyone to be CPR trained because it can help someone who is in the same or similar situation.
Smithson says no amount of words can express the amount of love and respect for those that were involved in saving her granddaughter’s life. She adds that Cecillia is getting stronger everyday. Hospital officials tell Smithson they believe Cecillia is blind, but Smithson holds faith that Cecillia will see again and that her family is lucky to have her alive. Cecillia is the daughter of Brooklyn Smithson and Monty Westphalls. To hear more from Enns, listen to today’s Community State Bank in Paton Let’s Talk Greene County program.
