CPR Helps Save Tulsa Girl's Life

Craig Day, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Citizen CPR will begin a push to train a couple hundred City of Tulsa employees the life-saving skill.

In February the nonprofit group begins its "Push for Life" campaign, with seminars for those employees and others open to the public.

One Tulsa mom knows the importance of CPR first hand. Her daughter is proof it can save a life.

Like most two year olds, Hannah Steelman is full of energy. She loves her toys, and loves her little brother Phillip. Hannah is a little girl full of life, and lucky her life wasn't cut short.

"You never think it's going to be you, and it was," Amy Steelman, Hannah's mom, said.

Last summer, at a family get together, Hannah and her cousin slipped outside. In minutes, they were both found unconscious in a swimming pool.

"She was grey and blue and no pulse," Steelman said.

Thankfully, Steelman knew CPR. Training she got in a nursing class in high school, and reinforced on the job at St Francis kicked in.

"It just clicked. It was instinct," she said.

She started CPR immediately on her daughter. Family members did the same for the other girl.

"I never thought I would have to do CPR on my own daughter," Steelman said.

Although both had to spend the night in a hospital, they survived, thanks to the quick action. Though it's still tough to think about what could have happened, Amy shares Hannah's story to help motivate others to learn CPR.

"Since then, I've said, God didn't bless me with her once, he's blessed me with her twice," Steelman said.

Steelman shares that message and also coordinated CPR classes for a group she's involved in called the Tulsa Family Club. Citizen CPR will conduct the training.

Steelman is glad she learned CPR and hopes others realize how important it is to learn it too.

"The ambulance got there fast, but she wouldn't be here today if we wouldn't have been able to do CPR," she said.

Experts at Citizen CPR say in children, it's best to do breathing and chest compressions during CPR, if someone is trained to do both. But if they aren't trained, chest compressions are best.

You can learn more from Citizen CPR during free classes February 19, 2011, and February 26, 2011, at OSU Medical Center.