Whether you believe it was pure coincidence or divine intervention, one thing’s for sure, a young boy is extremely fortunate to be alive thanks to the quick thinking and fast actions of an Oxford Township employee and her husband.
Three-year-old Will Potter, of Pennsylvania, will have the chance to grow up and experience all life has to offer because of Susan McCullough, administrative assistant to the township clerk, and her husband Marc McCullough, the dayshift supervisor for Lapeer County 9-1-1.
The McCulloughs, of Lapeer, and Potter’s family met in late June during their respective vacations at the Westin Resort on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.
Marc and his kids, Manon, 10, and Noble, 13, helped Potter’s grandparents, Ralph and Kathy Rossi, move into their condo when they noticed the older couple was having some difficulty. Ralph’s a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy so he wasn’t feeling well at the time.
Little did these proud grandparents know that four days later the McCullough family would once again be in the right place at the right time, but do so much more for them than simply carrying suitcases up some stairs.
On June 25, Susan and her daughter were playing in the pool outside the condominiums where both families were staying when destiny took a hand.
‘I saw something out of the corner of my eye about two feet away,? Susan said. ‘I just thought it was a kid swimming under the water.?
A few moments later, she noticed he was still there in the shallow end, which was about 4 feet deep. Manon went over to him and indicated he wasn’t moving.
‘I walked over there and he was upside down, his head on the bottom (of the pool). He was curled up,? Susan said. ‘I grabbed him and started yelling for help.?
Susan carried Will out of the pool and laid him on the ground. Somebody shouted they were calling 9-1-1.
Will’s condition was enough to frighten anyone let alone a mother of two like Susan.
‘His eyelids were blue. His lips were blue. He was limp. No breath. No heartbeat. No pulse. Nothing,? she said.
Susan immediately started administering chest compressions on the boy while another man gave him a couple breaths.
Fortunately, she had completed CPR training in December 2007 when she was working the midnight shift at an assisted living facility in Lapeer.
Susan’s sister, Joanne Knowlton, ran to their condo to get Marc, who’s also certified in CPR. He began doing the rescue breathing while Susan continued the chest compressions.
‘He was much calmer than I was,? Susan said.
After the second set of breaths, little Will coughed up a lot of water, according to Susan. A couple more breaths and ‘all of the sudden his heart just started.?
‘I could feel it when I was doing the compressions,? she said. ‘All of the sudden his heart started racing and then he started screaming.?
When the paramedics arrived, Will was transported to a hospital on the island, then transferred to a hospital in Savannah, Georgia, which kept him overnight.
Will made a full recovery and came to thank the McCulloughs the next day.
‘That was kind of neat,? Susan said.
Once the adrenaline wore off, Susan said she began crying ‘because you realize what could have happened.?
Will has no memory of how he ended up in the pool. ‘Nobody really knows how he got into the pool,? Susan said. ‘Nobody saw him fall in.?
Susan’s sure glad she took that CPR course. ‘You never know when you’re going to need it,? she said. ‘You may never use it, but it’s good to have it just in case.?
Potter’s family continues to express their gratitude. On July 10, Susan received an e-mail from Will’s grandmother, Kathy Rossi, which read, ‘You are in my thoughts daily and especially when Will walks into the house and gives me one of his great hugs! To say that we are grateful for your help is a gross understatement!?
Kathy informed Susan that she and some other members of her family are in the process of signing up for a CPR course. ‘I hope to never have to use it, but (I) now know how important it can be,? she wrote.