A toddler in an Australian grocery store suddenly stopped breathing over the weekend. Fortunately, the story has a happy ending thanks to a quick-thinking, prepared stranger.
A 2-year-old girl in a Perth IGA became unconscious and stopped breathing Sunday. The store’s a CCTV camera shows the girl’s mother, Amy Collard, coming toward a cashier line from the aisle carrying her daughter’s limp body.
The girl’s mother brings her daughter unconscious to the front of the store. (Image: YouTube screenshot)
Footage shows people panicking trying to call for help and deciding what to do. At first they think the girl is choking, but this wasn’t the case.
Strangers think the child is choking and try to dislodge an object while the girl’s mother gets her father from outside. (Image: YouTube screenshot)
The man in the red shirt seen running distraught in the footage is the girl’s father, Michael Narkle.
Within just a few moments, the video shows the hero of the story, Rowan O’Neill who is identified as a “tradie” (which appears to be slang in Australia for tradesman, or construction worker), steps in to perform mouth-to-mouth on the girl named Shaylar. It takes 90 seconds but the girl is resuscitated.
A stranger who knew CPR strives to resuscitate the 2-year-old. (Image: YouTube screenshot)
She is out for more than a minute, but the stranger is able to revive her before medics arrive. The father of the girl is seen embracing the man here. (Image: YouTube screenshot)
She wasn’t out of the woods yet. According to reports, she had a fever and she is later seen being fanned by customers trying to keep her cool while they wait for emergency responders. It is this fever that is thought to have caused her to become unconscious in the first place. A Current Affair reported Shaylar spent the night in the hospital and was released the next day.
The girl, Shaylar, spent the night in the hospital but was released the next day.
Watch A Current Affair’s report with footage of the harrowing incident:
(H/T: This Is Somerset, News.com.au)
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WendyClarke
Mar. 23, 2013 at 9:14pmThis just proves how important it is to know First Aid and CPR. Healthcorp have First Aid and CPR courses available Australia wide http://healthcorp.com.au/apply-first-aid-training-course.html
They also have a range of other courses and all the First Aid equipment available on their online store.
http://healthcorp.com.au/shop/1/n/0/7/0/0/first_aid_kits
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LeadNotFollow
Mar. 22, 2013 at 10:14pmThe video has been removed from The Blaze.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geL3KpaxNX0
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peaceangel
Mar. 22, 2013 at 6:00amWhen your kid has a super high fever——drag them out shopping all day
When your kid stops breathing because of the fever—–run around like a chicken with your head cut off
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bigdaddyt46
Mar. 22, 2013 at 3:35amyou cannot tell me(ok you can but i won’t believe you) that God didn’t put that man there for this very reason. the Lord works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. thank you HEAVENLY FATHER for your grace in placing that man there at the perfect moment.
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Xizang
Mar. 21, 2013 at 11:18pmGood thing for the kid it didn’t happen in the States. Despite good samaritan laws, in the USA there are hordes of lawyers that will come out of the woodwork, anxious to sue. They don’t need a reason. They just love to sue anyone anytime a good citizen comes to the rescue.
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AMRAAM2020
Mar. 21, 2013 at 3:11pmThis ankle bitter almost carked it! This be a fair suck of the sav & beaut of an event!! Good on ya Rowan O’neill! If it was not for this cobber digger, the ankle bitter would of carked it! Good oil gets ya far in life!! Rowan, may God be likewise w/ ya wherever ya go in life!! Narkle family you have a good cobber there for life!
=That little child almost died! This is an excellent & beautiful story!! Well done Rowan!! If it was not for this soldier brother the child would of died!! Good understanding gets you far in life!! Narkle family you have a good friend there for life!=
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GeeWhiz
Mar. 21, 2013 at 2:16pmEveryone should know CPR. It’s not hard, and it only takes a few hours of your life to get a certification from the Red Cross. And the form that they have now for laypeople is beyond easy to understand and remember. If you’re responsible for kids, even more important. They can do crap to themselves (like choking on something) in an instant. It’s another one of those ‘when seconds counts, emergency personnel arrive in minutes’. Learn it.
As to the little girl being in public with a fever? Who said that she had much of one to begin with? Kids with fevers can spike fevers really quickly. My own kid went to a birthday party, perfectly fine. Picked her up a couple of hours later and she was spiking a temp of 103. I’m an a former ICU RN. Think that I sent a ‘sick’ kid to a party? Not on your life. It’s gotta start sometime, and it doesn’t always start at home.
AND as an ER doctor said here, she probably had a fever induced seizure which is not rare in a very small child.
I always go deadly calm in an emergency and that is a result of my training. The good thing about this family being in public is that they were not trained and freaking out. That is not uncommon for some folks to do either. All they needed was ONE person who knew what to do nearby and lucky for them, he was able to help.
Learn the basics and decide to be the calm person. You can always have permission to freak out about it after it’s over with. We’re all human.
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Grey Eagle
Mar. 21, 2013 at 2:24pmIt is very important to know CPR. It may be your family or a complete stranger that you save. The Bible says that we may entertain Angels unawares. God or Angels send those to help when there is a need.
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Nabuquduriuzhur
Mar. 21, 2013 at 3:55pmgood points.
Unfortunately, there are parents that do send their kids sick to events or public places. Adults, too. Reason I had to quit going to church was that both adults and kids would routinely show up with colds/flus, never thinking anything about making other sick. I’ve got about 60% of the normal immune system from radiation damage, so there are situations I have to avoid because people think nothing of spreading viruses.
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Jimbo65
Mar. 21, 2013 at 6:49pmWell spoken. I worked at a mine where MSHA first aid and CPR was required of all employees once a year. It saved several lives over the years both on and off the job.
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AmericaMustBeFree
Mar. 21, 2013 at 1:47pmWhat is wrong with some of the people coming on the Blaze.. Right off the bat someone says, “The child should not have been in public if it was running a fever”!! Give me a break, who died and made you God! Why any negativity.. we should feel joy,, someone saved this little girls life.. I am disgusted by my fellow American’s..There was a man in the right place at the right time.. an angel in disguise, who saved the life of an infant.. truly a miracle.. and then the video is marred by some who just can’t seem to give praise, instead bringing negativity on the whole story. I imagine it would have brought a different response if it had been their child! Come on people.. please! There is enough negativity in the world already, please don’t add to it!
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AMRAAM2020
Mar. 21, 2013 at 2:54pmBloody oath, mate!
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loriann12
Mar. 21, 2013 at 8:05pmI had a similiar incident happen to me when I was 22 months old, except I was at home. My dad put me to bed with a SLIGHT fever. When he went in to check on me a few hours later, I was having convulsions from the high fever – 107.9, yes you read that right: 107.9. I stopped breathing on the way to the hospital and my mom, a nurse’s aide, had to give me artificial respirations (CPR is for when your heart stops, I just had stopped breathing) in the back seat of a 1964 Studebaker. Yes, the “tradie” is a hero, just like my mom. \
The story brought me to tears, and shame on any bad comments and their commentors.
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rangerskippy
Mar. 21, 2013 at 1:43pmI do not recall my mom taking us kids to the supermarket dressed in tank top, short shorts, and a thong. I think my Mom wore a dress.
You have come a long way Baby! To bad it is in the wrong direction.
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zgomer
Mar. 21, 2013 at 12:51pmWonderful.
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pap pap
Mar. 21, 2013 at 12:25pmWhen something happens to your child you should take immediate action and not run around like a chicken with it’s head cut off. The beautiful little girl shouldn’t have been in public with a fever. I feel sorry for her having parents like that.
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PlowMan
Mar. 21, 2013 at 1:21pmThis is a great story! Not everyone is a bad parent because they don’t do well under pressure. Do judge someone you don’t know, man. BTW, how many people do you think knows what your saying when you say “run around like a chicken with it’s head cut off”. lol It is a sight to behold but I’d bet not many have seen it. lol
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truemedia
Mar. 21, 2013 at 11:45amGod bless that man for being the hand of God and AVAILABLE so many people today don’t want to get involved
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DebateMe
Mar. 21, 2013 at 11:13amIt’s nice to see a story about people helping other people. All parents should take basic CPR classes and learn what to do in choking situations. When a person can’t breathe you only have seconds before things go from bad to dead.
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OkieDokie
Mar. 21, 2013 at 10:02amit was a heart warming story, but the news is missing a big point. That girl should of been in the hospital for the fever in the first place!!!! Why did they take her to the store?? My friends, any sign of high fever, they kick it in gear and seek medical advice. Seems the parents are not very educated from the actions. feel for the little girl
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fb274
Mar. 21, 2013 at 10:09amFrom the information in the article it sounds as if the child had a convulsion. If that is the case, she was still getting oxygen. High fevers can cause this distress. The child should not have been in public if she indeed was running a high fever.
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wilbstal
Mar. 21, 2013 at 10:45amthey probably have Obama care there and many die because of outrageous Health Costs, you only get what you vote for.
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VetMike
Mar. 21, 2013 at 11:08amSorry but as an Emergency Physician I must respectfully disagree. Fevers are not in and of themselves dangerous unless the fever exceeds about 103. The child most likely suffered a fever induced seizure which of course should be seen in the ED. Simple fevers without other symptoms can be treated with tylenol and monitoring at home.
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objectivetruth
Mar. 21, 2013 at 11:21amYou don’t have children or only one possibly?Most of the time when a child runs a fever ,unless its high or other symptoms indicate otherwise, isn’t something you need immediate medical attention for.You can schedule an appointment with your pediatrician.It almost sounds like she had roseola.This disease causes high fevers- and delerium in some children.Its self limiting and she should have been kept at home if they suspected it.Which isn’t something they may have known.It has a tendency to come on suddenly.For what its worth better than eighthy percent of the western world has had it as child.Its actually much more terrifying for the parent adult than the child.There isn’t anything you can do other than cool baths if the fever is very high.Otherwise the only thing you can do is symptom relief.If the fever is 105 106 they need to be taken to the er as they can be evaluated for a ice bath.
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AMRAAM2020
Mar. 21, 2013 at 3:16pmPokie DoDokie, Ya got yar wobbly boot on? Rack off!!! Yar nothin but a sticky beak!!
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Motoko53
Mar. 21, 2013 at 9:48amHere’s a quick survey:
1. How many of you know how to jump start a car?
2. How many of you know how to jump start a heart or restore someone’s breathing?
3. Which one do you think is more important?
It might be wise to get trained in CPR so you know what to do should one of your friends or loved ones need your immediate help.
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dannyo
Mar. 21, 2013 at 9:21amthat wasn’t the way I was taught CPR…two rescue breaths, 30 chest pumps, repeat the pattern…this guy did all periodic rescue breaths…btw, is the eternity of the ambulance arriving (didn’t arrive in this clip) a sign of things to come with thatguycare? conventional thinking says this video isn’t all that meets the eye…
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Deborah
Mar. 21, 2013 at 1:24pmYou don’t do chest compressions unless you confirm that the heart has stopped beating. The heart can continue to beat in the absence of respirations. The rescuer in this video saved the girl by re-establishing spontaneous respirations and consciousness before the heart stopped.
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Motoko53
Mar. 21, 2013 at 3:42pmDepends on whether the child has a pulse or not. If a pulse is present, you don’t do compressions, just give rescue breaths until the child resumes breathing or professional help arrives. This is part of the CPR protocol.
Motoko (former Cardiac Intensive Care RN)
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jakartaman
Mar. 21, 2013 at 9:14amIt always amazes me how many people are useless in an emergency.
I would say , by my experience, most people just panic.
For some strange reason my world slows down and my thinking becomes clear.
Not bragging just stating fact – I wonder what makes the difference in people?
I think the military somehow trains people to adapt to high intense situations and keep a clear head?
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THX-1138
Mar. 21, 2013 at 9:18amI’m sure it’s partly training but people, in general, don’t get exposure to real stress like they used to, say, a thousand year ago. We are rarely faced with a life or death situation (except military, cops, firemen, etc.) . It’s just the natural softening of the people in a “civilization”. Sad, really…
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AxelPhantom
Mar. 21, 2013 at 10:06amHow about instead of spending money for sex ed classes for 5 year olds, schools spend that time and money getting young teens first aid cerifications?
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objectivetruth
Mar. 21, 2013 at 10:28amMilitary training does do that.Living in a rural enviroment does that in spades.I know for a fact that I am truly collected in pressure situations.I delivered two of my children myself many years ago.Before the renewed interest in midwives came around.Lord you would have thought I had just invented the self starter.The amount of abnormal attention from those who were less than self reliant totally freaked me out.They meant well but I ended up avoiding them as best as I could.I didn’t want to tell them what I really thought.Which was I’m alright are you?Instead of frightening me would you rather learn how to do the same.I mean babies and labor doesn’t keep a schedule.You might want to learn in case you get caught short.
Must confess sometimes when the left and right starts in on their agendas of welfare I’m tempted to tell them I want reimbursement for my labor and delivery.You think your side with several million people could find it within them to cough up six dollars and fifty nine cents for the cost of the scissors and rubbing alcohol.
Oh and to answer your question the kids in question were perfectly fine from their home birth and are now adults.Now you know not everyone who delivers their own children at home are drug addicts exc.Some of us simply got caught short and have skills.Yes this included giving them their apgar tests.
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Dismayed Veteran
Mar. 21, 2013 at 11:11amTime is elastic. Military training certainly helps but not for everyone. Some folks are never able to master “slow”.
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AmericanStrega
Mar. 21, 2013 at 11:11amIt’s not just military training, but also medical training. Or it could be that there are just some people who are level-headed enough to not panic when a situation unfolds. Good job on the part of the “Tradie”.
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objectivetruth
Mar. 21, 2013 at 12:00pm@dismayedveteran
I’m going to hate myself for asking this but would you kindly clarify this part of your post please.
Some folks are never able to master “slow”.
Unless someone has been falsely given the label of retarded and will not ever live up to it ,as its a false label ,this point makes absolutely no sense.Please clarify.
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Deborah
Mar. 21, 2013 at 1:29pmSome of this is due to people being afraid of lawsuits. Oftentimes, even medical personnel will not get involved because they are afraid they might actually rescue the person, but then the person turns around and sues the medical person because they deem their ‘quality of life’ has been diminished and that they should have been left to die. So goes the ‘right to die’ movement.
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MrsBryant8
Mar. 21, 2013 at 7:14pmI grew up on a farm, you can’t panic, you have to act fast to situations dealing with animals. I had my dairy calf tied out with only a rope not a halter (stupid but I was only 14), and I left for school. My mom went out to check on the animals a little later, and discovered the calf had pulled back until she choked herself unconscious. My mom (also raised on a farm) who is only 5′ 2″ tall and 120 lbs, picked the calf up and dropped her. The jar started her back up again and she slowly regained consciousness.
I think some people have never had to deal with a stressful situation and panic the first time. It is a normal subconscious reaction and hopefully they learn from it.
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THX-1138
Mar. 21, 2013 at 9:10amVery, very cool. Bravo sir. It must be an amazing feeling to know a little girl will get a chance to grow up because of something you did…
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marvlus
Mar. 21, 2013 at 9:31amI agree. Based on my own experience, a little girl I saved from choking to death (Heimlic maneuver) 25 years ago grew up to become a doctor.
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THX-1138
Mar. 21, 2013 at 9:35am*That* is a ton of good Karma… All the people she helped, you helped. I wish more people could see that simple truth; every thing you do, good or bad, goes on forever… Makes many decisions much easier…
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Watcher1952
Mar. 21, 2013 at 9:50amAh yes the Butterfly effect …….
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ArmedAndReallyPissed
Mar. 21, 2013 at 9:08amToddler Stops Breathing at the Grocery Store…………………………Yeah, the prices will take your breath away. Nice job on the Economy, Mein Fuhrer.
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ArmedAndReallyPissed
Mar. 21, 2013 at 9:18amYeah, i didn’t read the story. My bad. LOL.
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DZ-015
Mar. 21, 2013 at 9:06amNice uplifting Down Under story.
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objectivetruth
Mar. 21, 2013 at 9:04amThats a very lucky child.Well let the comments begin about how he was just a lowly trades worker that saved her.
Hope she recovers and goes on to have a happy life.
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HollyRye
Mar. 21, 2013 at 9:02amThank goodness that gentleman was there, because clearly those parents are of no use in an emergency! The father ran around in circles and the mother seems to have disappeared altogether. Not the people I want with me in a crisis. Poor kid!
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SaturdaysWarrior76
Mar. 21, 2013 at 9:01amWhen the SHTF here in America, it’s going to take many people with clear heads to help when others are distraught, confused, hysterical and in shock (like the parents here).
Keep your wits about you. Have a plan for how you will react in a situation of (possible) mass hysteria. All those people in the video stood around freaking out… but it only took one man to think clearly and do what was needed.
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