Macilla Manuel (left) and Justise Murphy at the creek where their grandson and son almost lost his life. Photo / Peter Jackson
Macilla Manuel (left) and Justise Murphy at the creek where their grandson and son almost lost his life. Photo / Peter Jackson
Macilla Manuel knew exactly what to do when her 16-month-old grandson was found facedown in the stream behind the family's home at Cooper's Beach.
She had recently completed a first aid course at NorthTec and wasted no time in beginning CPR on Sunday.
Tawhirimatea Ratahi appeared to be responding several times but it was some five minutes before he began, and continued, breathing again, and Manuel knew he wouldn't die.
She didn't do it alone though. She had already lost a child of her own, to cot death, at the age of 3 months, and was terrified that she would lose another.
"I prayed to the Lord, 'Please don't do this to me again,'" she said.
And Tawhirimatea's mother, Justise Murphy, knew also that she was drawing strength from family members who had passed.
Everyone else's faces suggested that they had given up hope, she said: "but my mum alone had hope (she knew she had our aunty watching over her), faith (she knew our baby brother was watching over her), and love (she had her dad with her). She knew her tupuna were with her, and she was at peace.
"God was on our side. We say big thanks to our Mama Bear Macilla. I am so proud of her."
Macilla Manuel (left) and Justise Murphy at the creek where their grandson and son almost lost his life. Photo / Peter Jackson
The family had been preparing to leave for the beach, to celebrate Father's Day, when Murphy noticed her younger child was not in the car.
Manuel sent her son to look for him, and it was he who found the little boy, face down in the creek.
By that stage he was blue and wasn't breathing. Her son lifted the child out of the water and she began CPR.
The child appeared to be about to start breathing several times before he did so properly, just as the police arrived.
He, his mother and a paramedic were driven to Kaitaia Hospital by a police officer, and the child was later flown to Whangārei Hospital by rescue helicopter for observation and a raft of tests.
He very quickly returned to his usual busy, inquisitive self, Murphy said, but he was still in hospital yesterday, with his father, for treatment of a cut to one hand that had become infected.
He appeared to have suffered no ill effects from his near-drowning, and was expected to make a full recovery.
Manuel, meanwhile, was still emotional yesterday, aware of how close she had come to losing her grandson, although she wasn't beyond commenting that the near-tragedy had "put an end to Father's Day".
Now she and Murphy were encouraging others, starting with their family members, to undergo first aid training.
"I would like all my kids to be able to do it," she said.
The family, who had only recently moved into the house after leaving Auckland, had also contacted the Far North District Council over the need to fence the stream, although they weren't sure whether responsibility lay with the council or their landlord.
What is CPR?:
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique useful in many emergencies, including a heart attack or near drowning, in which someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped.
• It is an emergency procedure consisting of mouth-to-mouth respiration and chest compressions. CPR with rescue breaths allows oxygenated blood to circulate to vital organs such as the brain and heart.
• CPR can keep oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs until more definitive medical treatment can restore a normal heart rhythm.
• When the heart stops, the lack of oxygenated blood can cause brain damage in only a few minutes. A person may die within eight to 10 minutes.
