| Life Matters | spring 2003 |
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Ellisville Cub's Second Baseman Will Boot—A True-Life Miracle
Those words began a horrifying ordeal for Jim and Tomia Boot, when, for a few days in November 1997, the couple didn't know if their small son Will would survive a near-drowning accident. A nurse practitioner at Laurel Pediatric Clinic, Tomia recently relived the details of that frightening experience in the hope that it might make other parents more alert to the dangers that pools and water present to children during the summer months. Tomia was at work when the call came through that her little boy wasn't breathing. Although she left work enroute to her mother's home, she initially wasn't alarmed since Will had had reactive airway disease since birth. She thought that possibly the sitter had seen him in the middle of one of those attacks and had become frightened unnecessarily. But, as she drove and spoke with her sister on the car phone, her sense of fear and dread became increasingly pronounced. "I could tell from my sister's voice that it wasn't good. Then she said they had found Will in the pool." Grandmother Peggie Thompson has 18 grandchildren, any number of whom may be at her home on a given day. On that November day, six of them, along with a baby-sitter, were visiting their grandmother when the sitter went inside to tend a 3-month-old baby and was momentarily distracted. At that point, Will and two of the other toddlers wandered off to the pool on a hill away from the house. When the sitter noticed that the children were not visible through the window any longer, she yelled to Thompson, who immediately saw one of the children by the pool gate at the top of the hill. Running to investigate, she discovered that Will had fallen into the pool. Although there were four or five adults in the vicinity when Will was pulled from the water, no one was trained in CPR. They did begin some preliminary maneuvers in an attempt to force the child to expel water; but deputy sheriff Jerry Hutchinson, a part-time paramedic with EMServ, reported that Will had no pulse or respiration when they arrived on the scene. "Although I work in a pediatric clinic, nothing can prepare a mother to drive up and see all those emergency vehicles parked in the yard and to know that it is your baby in the back of the ambulance," says Tomia. "I was so scared." With the Laurel Police Department blocking all intersections so that South Central Regional Medical Center's ambulance (EMServ) could shave minutes off of their route to the hospital, Hutchinson and the EMServ team, led by Ernest Hollingsworth, continued to work with the child attempting to intubate—insert a breathing tube in the throat—enroute to South Central. But Will was only minimally responding by the time they reached the emergency room. Tomia continues, "Drs. James Holston and Bert Bradford from the office were there for us, as well as Dr. Ken Grafton, who is a friend. Dr. Kevin Ivey was called to put in a central line since Will was in shock and there was no vein access. The intubation had to be completed so he could breathe. Dr. Cynthia Thames, an anesthesiologist who worked with pediatric cases a great deal, also responded when Will was brought to the emergency department. "The doctors phoned Jackson and reported the situation. They feared brain damage, so Will was transferred to Jackson by helicopter. During the trip, he had to be 'paralyzed' with medication to keep him calm and stable and to prevent him from pulling out the tubes. He also had developed chemical pneumonia from the chlorine at 10 times the normal levels in the pool. The pool was slated to be closed, but the day had been too cold for anyone to bother. Ironically, the subnormal temperatures of the water, though, had probably helped, initially, to save him. "Having worked in the pediatric field, I knew that in most cases like this, there was almost always brain damage. Brain death begins at five minutes after oxygen deprivation, and the doctors in Jackson estimated that Will had been underwater eight to 10 minutes. So I prepared for the worst," she says. She and husband Jim began a vigil with people from five states phoning and praying for Will. The next day they were relieved to learn that— remarkably—there was no neurological damage. "The doctors in Jackson gave high marks to the local paramedics who had started CPR immediately. Also, to the staff at South Central Regional Medical Center whose actions had covered all the bases before his transfer to Jackson," Tomia reports. "Absolutely everything possible had been done for him in Laurel." The accident had occurred on Tuesday. On Thursday, the parents were thrilled when Will said "Dad," then "Mom." On Friday, he walked again. Their little boy was coming around. According to Tomia, "Everyone was so good to us. The South Central staff was wonderful; the doctors were excellent. My mother also adds her thanks to the Laurel medical personnel who were first on the scene and laid the foundation for Will's recovery. But Jim and I still consider it a miracle—God saved Will." Her advice to parents Will's parents recommend swimming and water safety lessons for toddlers and small children as well. "After Will's recovery, we contacted West Jones teacher Diane Dobbs, a water safety expert who trains lifeguards and teaches CPR for the American Red Cross. She also teaches infants and toddlers to swim. We were so impressed with her, but it was so hard to allow Will around water again. Finally, she told us, 'You're just going to have to trust me.' The first thing that she taught Will to do was how to get out of the pool if he fell into the water. The swimming lessons came later after he had mastered this important first step." Since Will's accident in 1997, the Boots have added little sister Heidi, 3, to their family. Smiling, Tomia says that Will, who is now 6, is a very active little boy. "He enjoys life to the fullest—especially in his role as second baseman with the Ellisville Cubs. He also takes his role as 'big brother' very seriously. He is so sweet with Heidi and very protective of her. Jim and I plan for Diane to be her coach, too, for water safety this year." Counseling that parents have to exercise normal precautions with their children, Jim, who is affiliated with the JCJC administrative computer department, observes, "Will's going to be a boy. I know what that's like. There is a world of difference between his behavior and that of our daughters Alex, 12, Hannah, 9, and Heidi, 3." Now, when Jim and Tomia Boot count their blessings, their healthy, active little son and three beautiful daughters figure very prominently at the head of the list. After all, they know from experience that parents can't take the people they love for granted—even for a day. So, do encourage your children to enjoy summer vacation—but review with them or teach proper safety guidelines before swimming, boating, or other activities this year. The American Red Cross provides the following water safety tips: 1. Maintain constant supervision. Watch children around any water environment (pool, stream, lake, tub, toilet, bucket of water), no matter how shallow the water is. 2. Don't rely on substitutes. The use of flotation devices and inflatable toys cannot replace adult supervision. 3. Enroll children in a water safety course or Learn To Swim program. These courses encourage safe practices. 4. Parents and care givers should take a CPR course. Knowing these skills can be important around the water and can be lifesaving in the event of an emergency. |
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