One minute was the difference between life and death for this child.
The Florida sheriff’s deputy who helped a desperate mother when her baby stopped breathing is breaking his silence about the harrowing moment he saved the child's life.
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On Friday, Shakira Nelson ran into the Tax Collector’s Office in Tampa with her lifeless son when Deputy Steve Donaldson sprang into action.
He told Inside Edition: "She threw the baby at me and I grabbed the baby at the same time. I deal with bad guys with guns all the time. I don't deal with infants that aren't breathing all the time."
But lucky for the 15-month-old-boy named CJ, Deputy Donaldson had just completed a refresher class in infant CPR. He checked for vital signs and, then, with great trepidation, began chest compressions.
"The trainers in the CPR class said, pay attention, take this seriously, because one day it could be a real live baby that you are bringing back to life, and sure enough here we are,” he told Inside Edition.
CPR expert Shane Woodall explained to Inside Edition what to do in the event of a similar crisis.
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Woodall said: “Thirty compressions using just two fingers placed right above the baby's nipples, after 30 compressions cover the mouth and nose and give two breaths, then repeat. Continue CPR until you discover some sign of life of the paramedics arrive.”
CJ is healthy and fully recovered, thanks to a deputy who knew just what to do.
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