Neighborhood Nurse Saves Toddler Who Almost Drowned: I Had to ‘Make Sure He Survived’

A little boy in Le Claire, Iowa, is out of danger because a neighbor, who happened to be a nurse, knew exactly what to do the moment she realized it was up to her to save him.

When the 18-month-old named Eddie nearly drowned, there was no time to panic, neighbor Katie Bailey told KWQC last week.

Eddie was playing with his siblings outside when he fell into a retention pond and the moment his mother saw him lying face down, she scooped him up and rushed over to Bailey’s home.

“She laid him on the floor right in her entryway and just yelling ‘Katie, Katie, Katie!’” Bailey recalled of the tense moment. “And I just went into action and kind of got my nurse mode on.”

Bailey is a nurse who knows CPR, but she had never done it on a toddler before.

According to the American Heart Association’s website, CPR stands for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, and it is supposed to be performed when an individual’s heart ceases beating.

“Immediate CPR can double or triple chances of survival after cardiac arrest,” the website read.

Meanwhile, Bailey said she forced herself to put her “mom mind” aside, adding, “I had to think of nursing critical care, you know what to do in the situation to help this … little boy, and make sure that he survived.”

After being airlifted to Iowa City for treatment, Eddie is recovering and Bailey was extremely pleased.

“He’s doing great. He seems like he’s back to normal,” she stated. “He’s spunky, he is full of life. He, he runs around, he’s got this big, beautiful smile.”

Genesis Health System, which served the people of Iowa and Illinois, said Wednesday, “Not only is Katie Bailey the Cancer Center Manager at Genesis Medical Center, Silvis, she can now add hero to her resume” and thanked her for being a “shining star.”