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Subscribe to RSSRocky Hurt, 9, and Ethan Wilson, 10, rushed to the aid of a Georgia woman when her 12-week-old baby stopped breathing, showing her the correct way to perform CPR on an infant. They are now being credited with saving the baby's life.
A Georgia mother says her infant son is alive today because of two neighborhood boys, ages 9 and 10, who showed her how to perform CPR when the 12-week-old baby suddenly stopped breathing.
Susanna Rohm, who lives in Marietta, told NBC affiliate WXIA in Atlanta she noticed something was “off” about her young son, Isaiah, on the frightening day last week. The boy had stopped responding to her and gone limp; when Rohm put her finger under his nose, she realized he wasn’t breathing.
She ran outside and yelled for someone to call 911, and two boys who were playing football, 9-year-old Rocky Hurt and 10-year-old Ethan Wilson, rushed to help her. Rohm says she was panicking, splashing water on the baby’s face and trying to do CPR.
The boys stopped her.
“I told her to push on the baby’s chest five to 10 times with only two fingers, tilt back the baby’s head, plug the baby’s nose and breathe into the baby’s mouth,” Rocky told WXIA.
Rohm says the boy said it so confidently that she listened to him right away. Within seconds, the baby began screaming.
“I told her that’s a good sign because the baby’s breathing,” Rocky said.
Paramedics arrived a short time later. Rohm told another Atlanta TV station, WAGA, that the baby spent two nights in the hospital, was diagnosed with sleep apnea and is being watched by doctors.
According to WAGA, the scare happened last Monday.
Rohm said she had never met the boys before, who live near her in Marietta, which is outside of Atlanta.
The boys say they learned CPR from posters in the cafeteria at their school, Sedalia Park Elementary.
“We just wanted to know just in case it happened,” Ethan said, “but we never knew that we’d have to do that.”
This story was originally published on Fri Mar 15, 2013 9:57 AM EDT
Leave a Comment:
Awesome!!!!
Nice job boys! Someone buy them a video game!
Be awfully nice for that town to come together and put a nice college scholarship together for those boys. They did save a babies life.
Gawd, I love kids! How cool is this?
Too cool. My eyes welled up when reading how the boys confidently told her what to do.
There are a lot of people that freeze and have no idea what to do in situations like this.
Good job boys.
Very smart young men.
@ creek dawg
Me too...It always gets me choked up when I read of kids (of just ppl in general) being at the right place at the right time and knowing what to do to help someone. The idea that God (or the universe, or whatever you believe in) puts people together to help each other when things seem hopeless is amazing. Makes me momentarily forget about all the badness in this world.
Wow! Someone really reads those posters! Yay!
This is a wonderful story. I recall having to perform the Heimlich on someone and that I had learned it in the Army.
These sorts of things should be part of school curriculum and not just a poster on a wall.
they learned - and it helped save a life.
I & I - They not only read the posters but they remembered what they said. As someone who creates those things, I'm encouraged.
Now, if only people would read the "use the other door" sign outside my office.
fatibel my love of sign language came from those posters, my friend and I learned how to "finger spell" so we could talk in class without getting caught passing notes lol, because of it I'm now certified to be a sign language interpreter.
CD- mornin hon. I agree! I'm one of those people that "freezes" but only when it comes to choking, I can handle pretty much anything (I once had to put a kid's guts back in his body and hold his ribs closed till the ambulance got there) choking freaks me out, even though I know how to do the heimlich!
Thanks for such a good story to start the weekend off!
And thanks for restoring my confidence in the next generation!
As far as rewarding the young men, I think they should used as an example for others.
But I think too much media attention "heroes" could have adverse effects on their outlook, perception and self awareness, especially at their age. It's been in the news that years after heavy media coverage for saving someone else's life the fireman, good Samaritan, etc develops mood or mental health problems--often with disastrous results.
HOW COOL IS THIS? CreekDog, that was my reaction exactly!
Man, you hate those kids, don't you! Better yet, put some money in a college trust fund and KEEP THEM AWAY FROM THE GAMES. Why?
Games have totally RUINED my youngest son. That is all he cares about. School is a distant priority for him. It is sad really. Violent games may not make a kid violent, but it sure does rob many of them from any potential they may have.
They learned it in school....Now when republicans points out printing such signs and teaching such things are "wasteful" government spending.........the boys will have to wait until they join the Pentagon Department later in life...then its too late, so.........
Idaho-Steven
If your youngest son was "ruined" by video games it is because his PARENTS didn't do their job of moderating his video game time. It is time to take responsibility.
Idaho - -
Not sure how old your youngest son is, but there's this wonderful little word out there: "No." Unfortunately, not enough parents use it, and they just say "yes" whenever their child asks for anything, including video games.
Good for these kids.
Idaho, be the parent in your home! Take away gaming privileges, insist on the kids doing homework (you sit with them while they do it) and involve your kids in other activities (sign them up for sports or scouts or programs at your library or local museums or parks). Most kids who are successful in school are so because of their parents, not due to great teachers or schools or any thing else. Parents are the no.1 influence in lids' lives.
I actually REMOVED THE XBOX. Just do it.
Smart boys. Right place, right time. You're never too young (or too old) to learn CPR. Kudos to the young men.
Love the fact that they paid attention to signs posted and learned from that. The fact that they were willing to jump in to help is also a testament to being good kids. These days so many people just stand and watch. I wish them nothing but the best and hope the doctors can help this baby's sleep apnea.
Good job Boys.
This is very admirable, I impressed!
More heros! They're everywhere, in all shapes, shades and sizes.
Good lesson for new parents (and everyone else). It only takes a couple hours to take a class. You never know when you'll need it.
When I had my babies, a hospital staff member showed me how to do CPR on a baby BEFORE we took them home. It only takes a few moments to learn.
Very good point Elk Meadow, as a retired nurse I am wondering what kind of hospital sent home a mother with an infant who was born prematurely (automatically at higher risk for respiratory problems) without first educating her in infant CPR? Classes in infant CPR and infant safety should be given to all new parents before discharge with the baby.
We learned infant CPR in a childbirthing class; however I realized when I got her home that if she ever stopped breathing I don't know that I would have my wits about me to do it!
They don't teach it, but then I was certified in High school as part of my Voc-Tech curriculum in Health.
I hope these boys get some sort of recognition from their community! They certainly deserve it and perhaps it will inspire other kids in their school to learn the information on those posters!
Kudos to the boys for just being so AWESOME and Kudos to the school for sparking these kids interests by putting up those posters!
Way to go guys! You're awsome!
It's the one skill you never hope to use that everyone needs to learn. Great job boys!
Well said!
The posters on the cafeteria wall! God bless 'em. It's amazing that they were able to instruct her so confidently in such an intense situation. They must be smart and brave.
"Good job!" to the poster makers. They must have been eye-catching and memorable.
I loved the part where they said they wanted to know what to do just in case. WHat 9 and 10 year old thinks like this? Not only props to the boys but props to their parents for raising kids like this. Oh and props to the school for having the posters up in the school for the kids to learn from.
All these nice comments, and no snipping from some bozo. Even this is impressive. WTG boys! I hope this experience continues to keep your spark alive as you move into adulthood and beyond.
don't jinx it! LOL
I think I'm going to order a poster right now to stick on the inside of the pantry door. I've taken the class but having never used the skill I'm not sure I could recall the steps properly. If a poster is glanced at several times a day or easy to grab in an emergency so much the better.
Those boys really have made their parents proud!
It's a good idea. We have a poster we keep on the inside closet door for our kids' bathroom. It covers basic CPR and choking responses, plus 911. I hope and pray my kids never need to know that information, but I know they see it every time they open that door to get a towel, etc.
I think I will order one for my nieces family... great idea Mom
that's a GREAT idea mom and wheezer! My daughter learned cpr so she could babysit, but to have a constant thing to look at would keep the memory intact! Going to order some now!
Wow everyone is in agreement. Yes its about time. Give those boys a big slice of good old American Apple Pie, because they are the apples of their Mothers eyes!
I am so impressed with these boys. I had the fortunate experience of saving someone's life with CPR many years ago so I know how scary and intense those moments can be. These boys deserve a lot of recognition. Perhaps a scholarship fund that everyone can contribute a dollar or two? That would add up quickly. Awesome job boys or should I say Young Men! :-)
Awesome job, boys! Thank you--and whoever put up that poster!
Cool that they learned CPR from a poster in the cafeteria. Sad that they learned it on their own. Couldn't this be a part of the regular school curriculum? Frankly, everyone ought to know CPR.
Either way, great job to the boys for keeping their wits about them.
I agree. Everyone should know CPR and be able to tread water in their clothes for 5 minutes before they can graduate from High School, maybe earlier. Too many people die from falling into water and panicking, and too many die from others not knowing simple First Aid/ CPR Procedures.
Way to go young men!
This story made my eyes water. :) Those are some amazing kids. FYI, some schools do teach it! I went to a public high school that had First Aid and CPR training for one quarter of the year during our junior year and we had to pass both exams as part of our graduation requirements. It would be fantastic if more schools were like that. Unfortunately, I doubt many schools would teach it to elementary school students, but maybe this story will encourage some schools to at least think about adding it to the curriculum!
Jeptha, AGREED!
I was once in a bad accident and went into shock, in and out of awareness. I could see some of the time but could not understand the words they were saying.
I had just enough awareness to realize that no one was doing the correct things, and what they were doing were exactly the wrong things to do (sitting me up instead of posturing me for shock, taking my boots off when I had one broken leg, etc.) It was a horrifying experience. No one even called a 911 for an ambulance. They just stood around and gawked during the times I can remember. Finally, I got loaded into a car and dropped off at a hospital ER. I still have trouble understanding the stupidity.
Wholly, cpr is usually included in high school health classes.
Two future ER doctors!! Very sharp, good under pressure, and they want to help!!! In the meantime, before they are ready for their scholarships (great idea) -- perhaps Fire Dept. or City has an award for heroes like these. Heartwarming to hear about really good kids.
The American Red Cross and The American Heart Association gives awards for just these kinds of saves...Contact the local chapters of both. Great job by 2 very smart young men!! Their parents should be very proud! Hopefully these boys will stay on the path that they are on and they will go very far in life.
Bravo young men!!!
Incredible! Fantastic job, boys! If I lived in the area, I'd take both of you out for a nice steak dinner. Your families, too! Because they raised such confident, calm young men. Great job!
And so many of us old-timers say youth is wasted on the young. These two young boys deserve a lot of credt for learning a valuable skill all on their own.
Wow ! Great Job indeed !
Great for the boys! Poo Poo on the mom for not knowing how to perform CPR on her own child. All parents should know how to do CPR, especially if they have young children/babies. Forgo buying the new video game and sign up for CPR training from the nearest Red Cross office. You can also go to YouTube and search for CPR, which will bring up a number of "How To" videos. There is no excuse for not knowing. The same can be said for basic first aid.
She should have learned it at the hospital before she took her baby home, as my hospital made sure I did. That said, in a moment of panic, I'd forget my own name, so no dumping on the mom.
Unfortunately, not all hospitals do this. WHen I had my baby 2 years ago, I was lucky that I did know what to do with babies, having went to school for Early Childhood Development, because they did not attempt to show me one thing. I had to figure out the breast pump on my own, since my baby was in the NICU. I had no support for learning how to get baby to attach to breast, she had to stay in NICU for 6 days to learn how to suck. THey just wanted to stick a bottle in her mouth and be done. I wasn't even given any literature on care for when I did get to take her home. Every new mom should learn on their own the basics of care and of course CPR/First Aid for all age groups.
How awesome is it that the next generation has some kids that are willing to learn and be an every day hero? :)
Exactly Elk, I know CPR and the Heimlich, but if someone around me starts choking, it's game over for me, it's the only medical emergency I cannot handle. I know why I'm like that (let's just say if my mom hadn't been there my daughter would probably be dead) and ever since then I can't deal with choking.
You need to talk to your husband about dealing with your issues on choking. As a 1SG he should know how to properly train you to at least deal with your fears. It's like jumping out of airplanes, I never lost my fear of heights or of hitting the ground at 120mph, I just learned to not my fear stop me. You can be taught that too.
“I told her that’s a good sign because the baby’s breathing,” Rocky said.
Cutest statement by a half-pint hero EVER. Totally made me laugh out loud.
Kids never stop amazing you
Great job boys !!! Amazing
They did a better job than that nurse at Glenwood Gardens in Bakersfield, Calif.
GOD BLESS those two BOYS.. :)