Thanks to some CPR training and the quick action of neighbours, a North Vancouver family has their son at home this Christmas.
Five-year-old Vondrea Martin nearly drowned in his backyard pool on March 30 this year. His grandmother Jene Johnson found him face down in the water and immediately pulled him out and began CPR. At that point, paramedics estimate he'd been under water for five to 10 minutes.
Next door, Vondrea's neighbours Gerry and Margaret Farrell were entertaining Gerry's brother and sister-in-law Chris and Sue Farrell when they heard the commotion.
"I was listening because, I've got grandkids and you're always interested what they're doing. Then I heard 'Call 9-1-1' and it was like a fast-forward button. I put everything together and I just shouted 'The baby's in the pool,'" Margaret said.
The attentive neighbours rushed to Vondrea's side and aided Johnson, taking turns performing CPR, though with no breathing and no pulse, it looked as though Vondrea was already gone.
"We just started CPR on the little one. At first, he probably looked like he wasn't even worth doing but you know, you can't give up and you've got to keep trying, so we did and we managed to get a pulse," Margaret said.
Her brother-in-law Chris then took over on Vondrea and Margaret took the boy's distraught sister away from the scene. B.C. Ambulance Service paramedics arrived to race the boy to Lions Gate Hospital. He suffered a second cardiac arrest while being transferred to the ICU
at B.C. Children's Hospital. After spending weeks in care, Vondrea made a full and "miraculous" recovery and is now a happy and healthy young lad.
On Nov. 22, the BCAS gave Johnson, Margaret and Chris the service's Vital Link award at a ceremony at North Vancouver's ambulance station.
"Jene, Margaret and Chris performed CPR for several minutes, which in comparison to Vondrea's complete return to health over several weeks is a relatively short amount of time," said BCAS paramedic and Vondrea's uncle, Aaron Johnson. "But the fact that he received CPR right away had an enormous impact on his overall recovery."
Margaret received CPR and first aid training while in South Africa's civil defence. "My CPR wasn't up to scratch obviously, but you know what? It's better than nothing and you can't just sit there and say 'I can't do anything. You've got do to something," she said Johnson agrees. "Learning CPR, I think, is very important training for everyone to do. Even though you don't do it word for word as the manual says, when the time comes you've just got to get in there and do it until the experts arrive," she said.
Even though she'd seen him many times since, Friday's awards ceremony was something of a reunion as it brought back all the first responders who came to Vondrea's aid. One particular meeting stands out in Margaret's mind, however.
"The first time I saw him after he came out of the hospital, I asked if I could give him a hug because I needed to feel his warm body because all I could remember was his cold body," she said, becoming emotional.
Huge thanks are owed to the ICU staff and North Vancouver RCMP and City Fire Department who also responded, said Johnson.
