Teen who learned CPR at school saves toddler from drowning on Thanksgiving

A California teenager is being hailed as a hero after performing CPR on her 3-year-old relative who almost drowned in the family’s pool on Thanksgiving.

As the Atkinson family prepared breakfast Thursday, 3-year-old Maxine toddled into the backyard and got into the pool, according to video from a home security camera. About four minutes later, Maxine’s uncle found her floating facedown.

“She was pretty much lifeless,” Kirsten Atkinson said on “TODAY.”

Maxine’s uncle began screaming for help, and that’s when Atkinson said her 15-year-old daughter, Madison, jumped into action and began performing CPR.

“Madison’s just pumping away for a couple of minutes, and finally, Maxine starts to open her eyes and start to breathe,” Atkinson said. “The dispatcher said, ‘Put her on her side.’ And when we did that, Maxine opened her eyes and starts to literally breathe on her own.”

She added: “The entire time Madison’s there just calm, cool, collected, not panicked.”

When the paramedics arrived, Atkinson said, they asked how old her daughter is.

“Their faces were just like, this could have been so different,” she said. “They commended her and they said that, you know, she has performed a miracle.”

Madison, captain of her school’s junior varsity cheer team, said she had taken a sports medicine class where she learned CPR.

“I was just trying to remember what I’m supposed to do,” she said. “I was just like let’s get this baby alive — no one else knew CPR.”

The teenager’s mother said the incident, and her daughter’s lifesaving skill, gave her family a whole lot to be thankful for that day.

“We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving in a different way, right? It was about, you know, how precious life is and how things can change in the blink of an eye,” Atkinson said.

Maxine has made a full recovery, she said, adding the entire family is committing to getting CPR training.