Child development center professional saves infant's life

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Benjamin Wilson
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) --  A child development center education technician reacted to an emergency while shopping at the commissary here recently, saving the life of her friend's 3-week-old baby.

Lindsey Gren was shopping with her friend, Ashley, and her friend's baby, Joseph, when the baby stopped breathing.

"He was crying really hard because he was upset, and he started changing colors," Ms. Gren said. "I'm guessing he just kind of forgot how to breathe, and she handed him to me because she didn't know what to do."

Because of Ms. Gren's job working with toddlers at the CDC, she has been trained to deal with emergency situations involving young children. As a result, she knew the appropriate measures to take.

"I started with trying to get his attention, but he was nonresponsive, so I checked for a heart rate and he still had a heart beat, but he wasn't breathing," Ms. Gren said. "I just gave him a few rescue breaths, and luckily he took a deep breath in and he started breathing again."

Though little Joseph was breathing again, his saga was not yet at an end.

"He still was really weak and he wasn't crying," Ms. Gren said. "They had called the ambulance and the ambulance came and took him to the hospital in Trier, (Germany)."

At the hospital, it was discovered that Joseph's epiglottis, the skin flap in the back of the throat, had too much tension, and surgery had to be performed prevent breathing issues. There was also a cyst in his throat that had to be removed.

Although the circumstances could have been better, it was a good thing it happened when and where it did, said Joseph's father, Senior Airman Andrew Cranfill, a 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter.

"I was in the car and Lindsey gave him rescue breaths, and then I ran in and gave him rescue breaths, before the fire department came," he said.

Joseph is doing fine now thanks to the quick reaction of everyone involved.

"He hasn't had any difficulties at all," Airman Cranfill said. "He has an appointment to go to Trier and they'll have to go down with the scope again just to check, and hopefully it all stays the same.

"I am thankful for the outcome of it."