Arizona postal clerk helps save 8-month-old baby who stopped breathing
Baby saved by CPR-trained postal worker
A quick trip to the post office turned into an emergency when a mother's baby went limp. FOX 10's Jacob Luthi has the harrowing story.
GREENLEE COUNTY, Ariz. - A former nurse now working as a postal clerk is being credited with helping save the life of an 8-month-old baby after the child stopped breathing at a Post Office in Greenlee County on July 11.
What we know:
What began as a routine trip in the town of Clifton to mail a package quickly became a medical emergency for Kylie Vega and her 8-month-old daughter, Nova.
"She was kind of going limp … so I started patting her back," Vega said.
Vega said she quickly realized something was wrong and that Nova had stopped breathing. Help then came from behind the counter.
Mary Schwarz, a postal clerk and former nurse with 13 years of experience, immediately stepped in to help.
"There was no thinking in that situation," Schwarz said. "I just jumped into action."
Schwarz said she could not detect a pulse and immediately began CPR.
After overhearing Vega tell a 911 dispatcher that Nova may have tried to vomit and was choking, Schwarz said she also performed back thrusts in an effort to clear the baby's airway.
Clifton Police Lt. Shari Aguilar happened to be nearby and responded within moments. She said she knew of Schwarz' nursing career before the incident.
Aguilar joined Schwarz in providing emergency care before the two rushed Nova to a nearby clinic, with Schwarz holding the infant in the front passenger seat.
"I said, ‘Can you give us permission to have [Schwarz] hold the baby’ and I am just going to take her up," Aguilar said. "I knew time was of the essence, and we needed to get that baby to the hospital as soon as possible."
Schwarz said Nova began taking breaths about halfway to the clinic before medical personnel took over her care. Nova was later transferred to Banner University Medical Center in Tucson.
Dig deeper:
Schwarz said the experience is a reminder of why CPR training is so important.
"If you’re a homeowner and have a pool or there's a choking incident with a child or a family member," Schwarz said. "It’s so important to have some kind of training to know what to do in that situation."
The incident is the latest challenge for Nova, who was born with a hole in her heart and without one of the arteries needed to support it.
‘She’s the rainbow in our lives’
Vega said she is grateful to everyone who helped save her daughter's life.
"I am very grateful that there’s kind people like that still in this world," Vega said. She also reflected on the frightening ordeal and her hopes for Nova's recovery.
"I don’t know why this happened, but I’m grateful it went the way it did, and I can't thank her enough," Vega said. "I know everyone says their child is special, but I really mean it. She’s special, and she’s the rainbow in our lives."
Nova remains hospitalized after undergoing surgery July 21 to repair the hole in her heart, Vega said.
She added that she and Schwarz have since become Facebook friends and that she continues to keep the former nurse updated on Nova's recovery.
Map of where the town of Clifton is