What looked like an ordinary day at the lake turned into an experience 32-year-old plumber Angelo Mondragon will never forget.
As he was swimming in the water, something touched his leg. And we all know that it’s not the most pleasant feeling. Believing it was fish or seaweed, Angelo turned around and that’s when he noticed the most shocking thing ever. It was a foot with tiny toes, and this quick-thinking man knew it was a drowning child he stumbled upon.
“It felt like something you normally wouldn’t feel in the water,” Angelo told the Coloradoan.
“The baby’s toes surfaced. I saw the bottom of her feet surface and that right then at that moment that became my child. I was yelling, screaming, terrified. So I sounded very terrified but I felt an amazing calm.”
Thankfully, he was able to pull the lifeless looking body to the shore. Not knowing what to do next, Angelo kept screaming and asking for help.
As luck would have it, 4-year-old Sitali Hernandez wasn’t meant to die on that faithful day. Two nurses found themselves on the beach and the moment they heard Angelo’s cries for help, they rushed towards him and the helpless girl and started performing CPR on her.
Soon after, an ambulance arrived and little Sitali was transferred to the hospital.
Angelo saved a life that day. His bravery made him a real hero.
The girl’s mom said there were no words to describe how thankful they are to Angelo for saving their little girl.
“You saved her. You saved my baby,” Sitali’s mom told Angelo when he came to visit her at the hospital the following day.
The story of Sitali’s accident was shared on the social media to raise awareness of the usage of vests for kids while swimming.
Angelo even went a step further and is getting into contact with local businesses that are willing to contribute to the safety of the children by offering free life vests to those who can’t afford them.
Sitali was lucky that someone like Angelo found himself in the right place at the right time to offer her a second chance for life. Now three days after the accident, Saiti is doing fine and can run and play again.
“She’s really strong, she’s really strong,” said the mom. “Her lungs are good, her heartbeat is good. Everything is good.”
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