New Mexico Teen on Vacation Saves Toddler from Drowning

A New Mexico teen on her vacation to Orlando, Florida, became a hero when she rescued a toddler from drowning.

Kaydence Henslee, 13, was on vacation with her family and spending the day at the pool when she noticed a small, unconscious body floating in the pool’s deep end.

“I was scared and nervous and afraid, but my instincts kicked in,” Henslee told KRQE. “I just saw her kind of floating. She wasn’t technically on the bottom when I was there.”

The victim was three-year-old Haven Williams from Missouri, who was also vacationing with her family. Haven’s mother, Ashley, had exited the pool for a moment.

“I just remember seeing another woman run across and yell into the bar area for someone to call 911 because a baby had just drowned … I didn’t think it was my baby,” Ashley said.

Henslee helped Haven get out of the pool as her lips turned purple, and at that moment, Ashley recognized it was her own child based on the color of her swimsuit.

Another bystander helped Henslee perform CPR until Haven could be taken to the hospital. Haven is expected to make a complete recovery.

“Even the doctors are saying that whoever got her out of the water did it at a perfect time because if she would have been under the water a little longer, it would have been a different outcome,” Ashley said.

Both families are staying in touch after the ordeal. Kaydence said this incident inspired her to get CPR training.