“I was terrified,” she said. “I knew I couldn’t live my life without him.”

It was a Sunday afternoon. Stephanie and her husband, Wesley, had been doing yard work, and Thomas was outside with them. Stephanie went inside to take a shower and came back out to find Thomas floating in the deep end of the pool.

“My husband had gone around to the front yard, and, evidently, Thomas didn’t follow him,” she said.

Fortunately, Stephanie knew CPR and was able to save her son from dying. After she pulled Thomas out of the pool, she immediately began CPR while Karns Volunteer Fire Department arrived within minutes, closely followed by Rural Metro, who took Thomas to St. Mary’s Medical Center.

“It was really bad,” Stephanie said. “They didn’t think he was going to make it.”

Thomas was then transported to Children's Hospital for more specialized treatment. He stayed in the Children's Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for nine days, and on an inpatient floor for six more days. Miraculously, he recovered from the accident with no permanent problems.

Stephanie said the entire experience seemed like a nightmare, but the reality is that it could happen to anyone at any time.

“If you have children or are around children, you need to be prepared and know CPR,” Stephanie said. “You never think you’re going to use it; I never thought I would. Don’t take for granted that you might not ever need it.”

Children’s Hospital’s Healthy Kids program offers regular classes on CPR certification. For more information or to sign up for classes, call the Children’s Hospital Community Relations Office at (865) 541-8165.