Four years ago, Tracy Anderwald and her daughter, Allison, decided to escape the heat by cooling off in the family pool.
The mother and daughter from Portland, Texas had fun in the water as usual, and they played and swam like there was no tomorrow. But no one could have imagined that their fun in the pool was the beginning of a potential tragedy.
Suddenly, Tracy was hit by an epileptic attack. She fainted and fell unconscious into the pool. Tracy’s head went under the water.
When she woke up, she was lying in a bed at Christus Spohn Hospital Memorial in Portland and had no idea what happened.
Saved her mom’s life
The family, however, had installed a surveillance camera by the pool, and when Tracy saw the footage, she could barely believe her eyes…
It turns out that 5-year-old Allison acted the part of a little angel and saved her mom’s life that day.
When Tracy appeared lifeless at the bottom of the pool, Allison hurried there and dragged her mother to the shallow end of the pool, keeping her mom’s head above water.
Then, she ran back in the house and called for help. Had Tracy been under water for a few seconds longer, the whole thing would have gone much worse.
Allison was taken to the hospital, and when she woke up, she had no idea what happened.
“I did not know where I was. They did not tell me (what happened) for a while.” Tracy told the Caller Times.
When Tracy recovered, her sister, Tedra, finally told her what happened. When 5-year-old Allison got her mom on dry land, she called her aunt Tedra and asked for help. Tedra immediately called 911.
Tracy’s sister, Tedra, explained the amazing actions of Allison to the mother.
“Allison was able to do that on her own. And so it’s a miracle. Allison was very calm through it. She was trying to tell me what happened,” said Tedra.
Allison has loved to swim since she learned at age three.
She didn’t know that her mom had suffered a seizure, but she went on her instinct and realized something wasn’t right when her mom mother was lying lifeless in the pool.
“It’s amazing that she even knew what to do,” Tracy said.
Unfortunately, seizures can happen to anyone under the wrong circumstances. I think we all have a responsibility to act like Allison if anyone looks like they’re having one and need help.
This 5-year-old certainly deserves a big gold star for her quick response, doesn’t she? Share this article on Facebook if you agree!
