Boys saves 15-month-old cousin from drowning

Bryce Alderton

A 15-month-old girl was able to go home Tuesday, two days after her

14-year-old cousin pulled her out of the pool she had fallen into.

Sunday was Chris Rathkey’s 14th birthday.

His present, successfully saving his young cousin Mia Buck’s life.

He was celebrating with a dozen family members at the house he lives

at on Danube Drive in Huntington Beach, said his father Mark Rathkey. The

party was ending at about 5:30 p.m. when Chris looked out of a sliding

glass door to the backyard and saw the pool rippling, Mark Rathkey said.

While family members were inside saying their goodbyes the

15-month-old Mia crawled through a seven- by 12-inch doggie door that

leads to the backyard, Mark Rathkey said.

“Chris saw her floating face down,” he said. “He dove in and grabbed

her. My wife came into the garage and my brother-in-law got the phone.

Seeing her little blue body -- it was the worst nightmare. I sat there in

disbelief. Your body goes into shock.”

Paramedics from the Huntington Beach Fire Department responded to find

Mark Rathkey performing CPR on the child.

After the fourth round of breaths she began gasping for air, which is

when Rathkey said he knew she had a pulse.

“You’re 100% focused on the kid,” he said. “I never thought I would

have to use [CPR]. When you drop to your knees instincts take over.”

By the time paramedics arrived Mia had already vomited and was crying,

said Martha Werth, spokeswoman for the Fire Department. “It’s amazing

that a 14-year-old thought to [look down in the pool],” Werth said. “Not

a lot of people would walk up to the edge and look. In that situation

every minute counts.”

Mia was initially transported to Huntington Hospital and later sent to

Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

Hospital officials said she will not suffer any long-term effects,

Werth said.

Huntington Beach averages five “drowning-related incidents” a year,

Werth noted.

“The message here is that even though it’s not summertime you have to

be careful with children and swimming pools,” she said. “You have to have

constant supervision.”

Rathkey considers his son a hero.

“He said he doesn’t want to take the credit,” Mark Rathkey said. “He

said it was teamwork to bring the baby back. His instincts to do what he

did and dive into the pool were amazing. He’s my boy.”