Children's Safety Zone

For a few terrifying moments Saturday afternoon, John Cardenas thought he had lost his “miracle baby.”

Cardenas went to the Colorado River near Avenue 3E to enjoy some time with family and friends, but at approximately 4:30 p.m., tragedy nearly struck.

“My son, Aiden, and my 13-year-old daughter were playing near the river. I turned for a second to grab (something) from my truck, and when I turned around, my daughter didn’t have him anymore.

“I ran around the truck, because he likes to play in the sand, and he wasn’t there. So I started yelling to everybody else.”

After hearing Cardenas’ shouts, family friend Lance Cpl. Cody Nichols, a local Marine, quickly located the unconscious 14-month-old in the water and pulled him out, Cardenas said.

When Aiden was laid on the riverbank, Cardenas’ cousin, T.J. Wright, began to administer CPR.

“By the time I got to him, T.J. was on his third chest compression and water started coming out,” Cardenas said. “So he kept going and more and more water was coming out and then (Aiden) gasped for air and started to breathe.”

Cardenas called 911, but after some confusion communicating where they were on the river, Cardenas told the dispatcher he would meet the emergency responders at Sam’s Club.

“On the ride over there, he was still just taking small breaths of air because, as the doctor told me later, his stomach was so full of water, it was pressing against his lungs and he couldn’t take a deep breath.”

Although the ride to Sam’s Club took only about five minutes, Cardenas said it felt like an eternity.

Paramedics then transported Aiden to Yuma Regional Medical Center, where doctors kept him overnight for observation.

“The doctors say Aiden was a miracle because there was no fluid in his lungs whatsoever when they did the chest X-ray. And after about three hours at the hospital, he was back to his normal self, pulling on things and getting into everything,” the father said.

But Cardenas had already considered Aiden to be his “miracle baby.”

“Doctors told me that I had a one in a million chance of having another child. And then Aiden was born. It was one of the happiest days of my life.”

Doctors told Cardenas to monitor his son over the next week since bacteria from the river water could create pneumonia or other respiratory problems. But Aiden is showing no effects from the incident, thanks to the quick response of his cousin and friend.

“I would just like to thank Cody and T.J. I know (they) don’t like the attention, but they deserve every bit of it. If I didn’t have (them) there … I might not have my son today. I am really grateful for what they did.”

CHANDLER, Ariz. “� A young child is in critical condition after being found at the bottom of a pool Thursday afternoon.

Paul Nies with the Chandler Fire Department said a 2-year-old boy was involved in a near drowning at his home near Ocotillo and Cooper roads.

Both the child’s mother and father were home at the time of the incident. The father was reportedly helping another child build a model car and lost track of the boy.

Nies said the mother noticed the side gate was open and began looking for the boy. She found him at the bottom of the pool.

The child was pulled from the water and the parents performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

He was taken to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center and is listed in critical condition…

At Hubbard Family Swim School, the belief has always been that getting children into the pool at an early age will help build confidence in the water and teach important safety skills. Now, two recent announcements from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Griffith University are raising awareness on the importance of early swim instruction and encouraging parents to take action. In light of these announcements and their overall commitment to water safety, Hubbard is now offering a Baby Splash program where infants 5 months and younger can splash, play and learn in the water once a week for free while also offering new clients their first two Little Snapper lessons (ages 6 to 36 months) free.

Based on a recent case-control study report, the AAP found that swimming lessons do not increase the risk of drowning in 1- to 4-year-olds and may actually provide a reduction in drowning risk in this age group. In addition to this new stance on swim instruction and drowning, a Griffith University research project out of Queensland, Australia surveyed more than 10,000 youngsters up to 5 years of age, and early results show that swim lessons not only develop better swimming skills but also advances physical, social, intellectual and language development of young children. Anecdotal evidence also found swimmers tend to be more confident than same-age, non-swimming peers.

“We have always believed in getting infants into the water right from the start but are glad the AAP and Griffith University have now made announcements that support this both from a medical, safety and behavioral perspective,” said Kathy Hubbard, Hubbard Family Swim School Co-founder and -owner. “By offering free classes our hope is to make it easy for parents to sign up because while our focus is on the children, our instruction is truly meant to empower parents to give their family confidence around water.”

Being in the water allows babies freedom to move their muscles in a way they may not be able to on land while providing the perfect environment for parents to bond with their little ones. In addition to getting acclimated to the water and providing stimulation for positive brain development, the class also includes tips on how to enjoy tub time, simple building blocks for a lifetime of confidence in the water and how to prepare your baby for lessons.

Baby Splash is offered at all three Hubbard Family Swim School locations. To learn more about the program or to sign up an infant, visit hubbardswim.com or call 602-971-4044.

A 4-year-old boy was airlifted to the hospital after he nearly drowned in a backyard pool during a graduation gathering at a Surprise home Thursday evening, officials said.

According to Surprise Fire Department spokesman Kevin Pool, the boy was at the gathering near 160th Avenue and Jomax Road with another family.

A teenager attending the gathering had walked outside to retrieve a cat that escaped through a back door that was left open, when he saw the boy floating in the pool.

The teenager provided CPR until paramedics arrived. They were able to get the boy alert and vomiting.

The boy was flown by helicopter to Phoenix Children’s Hospital and is expected to survive, Pool said.

Students from Warren Elementary School help “rescue” three lifeguards as part of a water-safety program for 668 kids, from eight schools, at the Edith Ball Aquatic Center at Reid Park. Tuesday’s training was sponsored by Safe Kids Tucson, a community effort to teach kids about water safety and other ways to stay safe.

See the images: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_216abf33-5c08-553c-80dc-44e0c477f48d.html