Great Grandfather Saves Toddler Found In Pool
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MIRAMAR (CBSMiami) -- A toddler is back at home, recovering after being rescued by her great grandfather.
Aaliyah Portee, 1, was released from the hospital on Thursday after almost drowning in a pool at her home on Indigo Street in Miramar.
Rey Rivera says his great-granddaughter was playing in the house Wednesday evening. When he didn't see her for a couple of moments he realized the back door was partially open. The family dog can open the door with his nose and Rivera believes that's how the little girl got out and ended up in the pool.
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Rivera went outside with his son and they saw the child floating in the deep end of the pool. "We both saw her at the same time," Rivera told CBS4's Maggie Newland. "He ran around and I jumped in the water."
They immediately pulled the child out and started performing CPR on her. For years, Rivera has had CPR training as part of his job.
"We get a refresher course every year and I've been doing this over 30 years," he said, adding, "I've never had to use it."
He said the lessons learned in training quickly came back to him.
"I started compressions. I breathed into her a couple times then compressions again. She didn't react until the third the third time she threw up water," explained Rivera.
Rivera's son, who had just taken a CPR training class earlier that day, also helped to save Aaliyah. They continued CPR until rescue crews arrived.
"They were here immediately. They did such a fantastic job," said Rivera.
Aaliyah's mother went into premature labor but doctors were able to stop it at the hospital.
Both Aaliyah and her mother were released from the hospital Thursday afternoon and both are doing fine.
Now the family urges everyone who cares for children to learn CPR.
"The bottom line: get trained. Even the fire rescue said the baby wouldn't have made it if it wasn't because we did CPR," said Rivera.
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