Family members of a toddler in central Florida are thanking a first responder who saved her life when she stopped breathing during a Christmas parade last week.
The family of one-year-old Elena Brower was with the toddler on a float in the Havendale Christmas Parade near Winter Haven when people in the crowd alerted her parents of something wrong.
“Her eyes were just beat red. They were bulging out. Her lips were turning a different color. You could tell there was no oxygen getting into her,” her mother Kerstin Brower told NBC affiliate WFLA-TV.
The family spent minutes trying to get Elena breathing again with nothing working. That's when Polk County Fire Rescue special operations paramedic Dustin Bovill, who was off duty at the time, jumped on the float and offered to help.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
“He’s like, I know what I’m doing, I can help her. It was just that instinct, can I trust a stranger with my child’s life right now? Can I do that?” Kerstin Brower said.
Bovill carefully struck Elena's back and the child began breathing again. The paramedic stayed with the child until she could be checked out by a rescue truck.
“I would just want him to know he saved Elena’s life,” father Anthony Brower said.
Local
“I’m like, literally speechless about him. I have no clue what to say besides thank you,” said Kerstin Brower.
Bovill has maintained communication with the family since the incident.
“We have admirable members of our organization and they’re always committed. They work hard whether they’re on duty or off duty. It just makes me proud to be the new fire chief here in Polk County,” said Dr. Hezedean Smith, Polk County Fire Rescue Fire Chief.
