Two children were rescued by community members in May after falling into pools in Orange County. The emergencies, which happened in Hillsborough and Chapel Hill, occurred within a week of each other and almost ended in tragedy.

The first incident happened on May 12. A 4-year-old boy named Parker was found unresponsive in the community pool by his father. Dr. Anita Skariah, a local physician talking with Parker’s father at the time, started CPR. Gabe Walker, an Orange High School student on the scene, assisted her. The child became responsive after more than two minutes of compressions and was taken to the hospital for a full recovery.

EMS Operations Manager Kim Woodward described the events of May 12 before commending Skariah and Walker on their actions at the Orange County Commissioners meeting this week.

“These two right here are really the first link the chain of survival,” said Woodward. “Because of their actions, Parker is with us today: a very healthy, active 4 year old.”

Another near-drowning happened the next week. Chapel Hill residents Savannah Jastram and Norman Picard helped save a young girl who fell into a pool at night. After hearing her calls for help, the two scaled a fence, rescued the girl from the water and administered CPR until EMS arrived. The child also had a full recovery.

All of those who took steps to save the children’s lives were honored at the county commissioners meeting. The citizens who helped and the first responders who arrived at the scenes were all awarded with certificates deeming them community heroes. They also received Challenge Coins from the emergency service branches, which honor heroism and strength.

Skariah, who is friends with Parker and his family, shared a video at the meeting of the family thanking the community members and emergency services. She also commented on how well everyone contributed in helping Parker and how thankful she was once he recovered.

“I can tell you 45 minutes later after this event, I cried tears of joy to see him eating a popsicle in the ER bay,” Skariah said. “It just blows me away.”

Present EMS members and some county commissioners promoted the resources of public CPR classes happening around Orange County. They encouraged citizens to consider taking courses to be prepared for similar situations to those in May.

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