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Don't Leave It to Luck

Learn Infant/Child CPR

By Donna Smith and Jessica Williams

Sheri Goeser Stritof from Ocean Park, Wash., found out that at any time, a child could need cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). One crisp, sunny day, she had a premonition that something bad would happen to one of her children. She was right.

"Eighteen years ago, while taking a college examination, I felt that one of our kids was in danger," Stritof says. "Quickly finishing the test, I rushed home. As I pulled into our circular driveway, I could see my husband, Bob, and our young son, Larry. However, our 18-month-old daughter, Judy, was nowhere in sight."

Stritof called out to her husband, asking him where the baby was. The panicked look on his face alerted Stritof that something was not right. "He ran to the backyard," she says. "I heard him screaming, 'Help me, God!' and my heart sunk. I knew he had found her in the swimming pool, and I rushed into the house with Larry and called for help."

Bob laid Judy's limp body on the kitchen counter and started doing infant CPR on her. Luckily, Judy began coughing up water and breathing on her own as the paramedics arrived. The scary thing is, Bob hadn't learned CPR by taking a certified class. Luck was on Judy and Bob's side that day.

"Later when we were at the hospital, I asked him how he had learned infant CPR," Stritof says. "He said he had watched a show on TV that described it, and when he was pleading for help, that information just popped into his mind."

Today, Judy is an active, bright, beautiful and talented aspiring actress. Judy says they were lucky that Bob was able to recall what he saw on television earlier.

Don't play the odds when it comes to saving the life of your child or someone else's. "Don't gamble with your children's life," Stritof says. "Learn CPR."

Want to see more?

• Check out our Article Library.
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• Your Child's Strongest Ally: You!
• 10 Tips Toward Baby Safety
• Read about CPR Teddy, an iParenting Media Award winner.
• Talk about it!