An April day spent in a Phoenix family pool could have been deadly for the young boy swimming in it had it not been for the quick thinking and brave intervention of his nine-year-old sister, Tenley Homstrom. She jumped into the pool when he was drowning and saved him.
For that, she was honored on Monday by the Phoenix and Glendale Fire Department. It awarded Tenley the medal of bravery and Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers presented her with a challenge coin for saving her three-year-old brother’s life.
KTAR reported. on the incident in which Tenley saved her three-year-old brother’s life in the pool, reporting:
Tiinaliisa Holmstrom recently told the story of a normal day around the family’s pool.
“All my kids know how to swim … they had supervision,” she said.
Nevertheless, at one point her 3-year-old son, Laiken, had a medical emergency and lost consciousness while in the pool
“He told his sisters, ‘Hey, I’m not feeling good,’ and he went unconscious over his floater into the water,” Holmstrom recalled. “Of course, with little bodies like that, it only takes seconds for them to go out.”
That’s when Laiken’s sister Tenley, with help from her 8-year-old sister Audra, jumped into the water.
“Tenley grabbed (Laiken) out of the water, laid him on his back and started compressions,” Holmstrom said
Tenley’s parents took over moments later, but the firefighters who responded to the scene credit Tenley with helping to save Laiken’s life.
A 3-year-old boy nearly met a tragic end when he became unconscious in a Glendale pool. Thankfully, his 9-year-old sister was there to save his life. https://t.co/n5f2ZtaO4V
— 12 News (@12News) May 9, 2023
Watch the Phoenix Fire Department’s video on giving the brave nine-year-old the award here:
Glendale Fire Captain Kyle Borg spoke about the necessity of pool safety, KTLA reported, saying, “Adult supervision is always the most important thing you can have in any situation where kids are swimming. Drowning is silent. A lot of people think there’s a struggle you can hear, but that isn’t the case, so having barriers is also important.”
He then added that teaching kids lifesaving measures is very important, saying, “It is important to teach your kids how to swim and, as soon as they’re of age, teach them CPR,”
Breitbart, making much the same remark about the importance of knowing how to perform lifesaving aid and adding a growing story as warning, said:
Tenley’s heroism can be credited to the family teaching her CPR, and her participation in community classes in emergency situations. Tiinaliisa urges parents to take all the necessary precautions to prevent drowning.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for children under the age of 4, according to the CDC. It can happen in seconds, is often silent, and a struggle for air isn’t a sign to look for, the CDC noted.
In April, Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett’s two-year-old daughter drowned in the family home’s swimming pool, as reported by the AP. She was brought to the hospital but was pronounced dead. The police reported it as an accident.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded Facebook video
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