Surf lifesavers resuscitate toddler at Ettalong Beach in chance encounter

SWIM coach and surf lifesaver Graeme Carroll has implored people to learn resuscitation skills, after a chance encounter saw him save the life of 16-month-old Bella Taylor.

Mr Carroll had considered staying home during unsettled weather last month but was cajoled by his wife into walking his dog at Ettalong Beach.

He caught sight of his friend and fellow surf lifesaver Jenni Darwin out running and was all set to have a quick chat before getting back in his car to go home.

That was until the pair saw Corey and Nicole Taylor racing outside their home screaming that their child had stopped breathing and they needed help.

Mr Carroll and Mrs Darwin didn’t think twice in assisting the toddler, who it’s believed had suffered a febrile convulsion.

“Jenny held the baby and I gave her a couple of quick breaths,” Mr Carroll said.

“I could sense there was a blockage and I did one more puff a bit harder and could feel there was flow.

“I lifted my head and colour had come back to her face and I said to the parents ‘she’s breathing, she’s breathing’.”
“My wife knows CPR but she froze and I panicked,” Mr Taylor said.

“When it’s your own child you don’t think rationally. I can’t explain how I felt.”

The Taylors said Bella was taken to Gosford Hospital where she remained for five days, after which Mr Carroll went on holiday, putting a reunion of the two rescuers and the family on hold until this week.

Mr Taylor described the pair as “our angels”.

“It was raining that day and no one was around and they just appeared,” he said.

Mr Carroll said they were just doing what they were trained to do.

“With the training I’ve done, I had the confidence to know that what I was doing was the right thing,” he said.

“You never know when it might happen. Everyone should do a rescue course.”

That last quote is correct. “You never know when it might happen”, great on the spot thinking from these guys. Luckily they were trained in first aid. Make sure you are prepared for when an emergency happens to you. Sign up to a one day first aid course in Canberra with Canberra First Aid Courses and we will guarantee to give you the training you need. We will also provide you with a first aid course that gives a free first aid manual to take home, a cpr facemask and a quality education. We look forward to seeing you in one of our first aid courses soon.

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