An 11-year-old boy has been hailed a hero after managing to save a young girl from drowning. Everett Melling, of Arden Hills, was playing in the water at Lake Johanna over Memorial Day weekend when he spotted a 3-year-old go underwater but fail to come back to the surface.
“Her head was under water,” Everett told KSTP. “She wasn’t moving at all.” Melling quickly jumped into action to save the girl’s life. He shouted for his mom, Elena Melling, to get help.
“Drowning!” Elena screamed, as various onlookers, including several nurses, gathered around to give CPR and help save the girl’s life. “I feel like it was a miracle because by the time he told me, and I reacted, and other people reacted, she was face down in that water for so long and not struggling,” the mom told KSTP,
“I heard someone say, ‘She has a pulse,’ and someone else said she was breathing on her own,” Melling added, according to ABC News. “She was coughing.” Incredibly, the girl came back to life and was rushed to the hospital.
Following the traumatic event, Elene says that both she and her son now plan to become trained in CPR. “It was amazing they were able to revive her. I was so thankful. We need to know how to respond in these situations and be ready.” Of course, water is great fun. But Melling wanted to take the opportunity to warn other families of the dangers of playing at the beach or in a pool. She said the water can be a “beast” and that everyone should recognize the risks.
Authorities have said that they expect the 3-year-old to make a full recovery at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. There were no lifeguards at the lake at the time of the incident because Ramsey County’s beach season does not officially begin until June 9.