MERIDIAN, Idaho — A 4-year-old boy is awake and on the mend in the hospital, after he nearly drowned in a neighborhood pool in Meridian one week ago.
His survival is, in large part, due to a group of people who sprang into action after noticing the boy floating face-down in the pool.
Addison Harris and Brynley Fisher, both 13, relived the moment they saw 4-year-old Ethan floating motionless in the pool.
“I noticed the little boy floating and I was like 'hey Addy, we should go see if that little boy is okay,’” Brynley said.
Both girls swam over to Ethan.
“I was touching him to see, because a lot of kids joke around like that and just float,” Addison said.
But it wasn't a joke.
“I went over there and lightly pulled on his leg and he would just move with the water,” Addison said.
The teenagers immediately alerted the adults nearby.
“We were just really scared and wanted to see if he was okay,” Brynley said.
Nearly two dozen people were at the pool that day. But because it is a neighborhood pool, there was no lifeguard on duty.
“Everyone just hopped out and a bunch of people were crying and like screaming for help because they didn’t know where the parents were,” Addison said.
A man at the pool jumped into the water and pulled Ethan out and immediately started CPR.
On Wednesday - just over a week after the near-drowning - Addison and Brynley reunited with Ethan at the hospital for the first time since that terrifying day.
“I was super happy that he was okay and awake,” Brynley said. “He just kept smiling and he looked happy.”
Ethan was in the Intensive Care Unit immediately after the incident. Although he is now awake, he still has a long road ahead of him. He can't yet talk or stand.
For Addison and Brynley though, seeing Ethan smiling now erases the memory of him lying in the pool.
“It’s better knowing that he's okay, that he's awake,” Fisher said.
The girls bought Ethan a stuffed animal. They said this experience has really taught them that if you see something that doesn't look right to always check it out and make sure, because you never know.
Meridian Police Deputy Chief Tracy Basterrechea said this story shows the importance of knowing and understanding CPR because it can make a difference between life and death.
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