FEBRUARY 14 is a day the Wall family won’t forget in a hurry.
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Mum Kelly-Jo was looking after baby Mia, who was seven days old, when she realised her daughter had become unresponsive and wasn’t breathing.
Dad Cody had taken their other daughter Maddison, 3, to swimming lessons and Kelly-Jo ran from their family home in Mount Isa for help.
“Neighbours came running and I remember a man in a blue shirt who started cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Mia, whose heart had stopped,” Kelly-Jo said.
“He’s my saviour. I had no idea why she’d stopping breathing,“ Kelly-Jo said.
The Walls later found out Mia had an undiagnosed heart condition and had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.
After the prompt arrival of paramedics, CPR continued with the assistance of Queensland Fire and Emergency Services personnel.
Expert medical care was then provided by Mount Isa Base Hospital stabilising Mia’s condition in the short term, ensuring she would make it to specialist services required to correct her condition.
Mia was then flown via the RFDS to Townsville, then onto the Lady Cilento Childrens’ Hospital in Brisbane.
Little Mia had surgery to help her heart defect and had open heart surgery when she was 14 days old. Now at almost five weeks old, Mia is doing well.
“Doctors are calling her a little miracle baby. She’s come such a long way,” Kelly-Jo, 28, said.
The mum of two was thankful she had always been vigilant checking on her children.
“I think it’s important to reinforce the CPR message as well because it helps keep the blood pumping,” she said.
“Mia is still with us because of the work of the paramedics and firefighters did, as well as our neighbours who helped.”
“I can’t thank them enough.”
North West Local Ambulance Service Network Superintendent Evan Kaddatz said this was an example of excellent work from the hospital services involved, as well as Queensland Ambulance Service and Queensland Fire and Rescue Service.
“It was great to see all the various resources work together for such a positive result,” he said.
Mr Kaddatz stressed how important it was for people to learn CPR and how it could make a difference between life and death.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Inspector Ross Mutzelburg praised the efforts of the auxiliary firefighters who worked so closely with the attending paramedics.
“It is upsetting working on an infant but it was a fantastic effort, particularly with the auxiliary crew there to assist the paramedics,” he said.
Mr Mutzelburg said some QFES firefighters in Mount Isa had received additional CPR training so they could assist paramedics when they were first on scene.
“We’re all just so happy and thankful Mia is doing so well.”
The attending paramedics were Gavin Becker and Amanda Martin and the auxiliary firefighters from Mount Isa station were Lieutenant Peter Burlingham, Tina Monukua, Sarah Steinegg and John Whiting.