GLENDALE, Ariz. — It was a typical Sunday for the Holmstrom family in Glendale who spent the afternoon playing in their pool.
“We have a fence, we have supervision, all our kids know what to do,” said Tiinaliisa Holmstrom remembering that day back in April.
What made this a day one they will never forget is when her 3-year-old son Laiken had a medical emergency and became unconscious in the water.
“This was my worst nightmare,” Holmstrom said.
She said Laiken was face down in the water. Before anyone could act, his 9-year-old sister Tenley sprang into action, pulling her brother from the pool and starting chest compressions on him.
“I was scared but I remembered always to keep calm,” Tenley said.
Her parents called 911 and also started to perform CPR. Within a few minutes, Laiken was breathing.
“He died essentially and then came back,” Holmstrom said.
A sense of relief rushed over the entire family and his older sister as firefighters arrived and rushed Laiken to the hospital. After a few days, he was fully recovered and allowed to return home.
"I was so worried about him,” Tenley said. “I’m glad he is okay because I don’t know what I could do without him.”
Tenley was honored Monday afternoon by Phoenix and Glendale Fire Departments, being hailed as a hero for the quick thinking that saved her baby brother's life.
Phoenix firefighter Todd Armfield was one of the first to respond to the scene that day. He and so many others were incredibly thankful that this situation did not turn deadly.
“His sister did the work, she did our job for us,” Armfield said.
The family said they taught Tenley how to perform CPR and she also took classes hosted by the City of Glendale about how to respond to these situations. The Holmstroms are encouraging other families to do the same.
"That’s why I’m here because I don’t want anyone to go through that,” Holmstrom said.
Several cities in the Valley have educational programs for kids to learn about pool safety. They commonly cite what's called the ABCs of Pool safety; adults need to always be supervising their kids in the pool, barriers need to be in place to stop kids from going into the pool unattended and enrolling children in classes to teach them how to swim.
The Holmstrom family's pool does have a fence, the kids do know how to swim, and adults were supervising when this all unfolded. Still, Holmstrom warned accidents can still happen.
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