Sometimes DAISY Awards come to us from staff members and patients, but this one was very unusual. One of the DAISY Foundation Board members heard of a heroic act by her own niece and her niece's husband, Nicholas and Deborah Meyers. They are both UC Davis Medical Center Intensive Care Unit nurses, and they saved the life of a child. They revived the little boy, as you'll read below, yet another testimony that nurses are nurses wherever they may be, at work or not.
December 30 began as an exciting day for newly married Nick and Debbie Meyers as they were out in the community house hunting. They were looking at a home for sale in a Sacramento suburb and worked their way to the backyard to look it over. Once there, they both heard a gut-wrenching screams for HELP! The screams came from behind a 6 foot wooden fence and without a thought Nick flew over the fence to see what could be done. Debbie, a very petite young woman, maybe 5 foot 2 inches at the most, broke through the fence to help her husband.
Both Nick and Debbie were facing a parent's nightmare; a 3½ year old boy had just been pulled out of a pool by his mother and family friend. Debbie, a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit nurse swiftly assessed the situation, and found the young toddler to be pulseless and blue. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was immediately begun by Nick, a Neuro-surgical Intensive Care Unit nurse, and Debbie. The mother was directed to call 911 and in her panic had difficulty dialing on her cell phone. Nick quickly hit the Siri button to activate 911 for the mother to provide the needed information. About 3-5 minutes into performing CPR, fluid started coming out of the child's mouth, he began to cough, take some breaths and a pulse was felt. Emergency Medical Services arrived within 10 minutes of the call and paramedics transported the boy to the nearest emergency department.
The shock of what they had just experienced was overwhelming to Debbie and Nick and they spent the rest of the day reflecting on the events of the rescue. The mother of the child kept them updated during the day and they were thrilled to learn he was not showing signs of neurological deficits. Miraculously the young boy survived the event and was discharged home the following day in stable condition. Nick and Debbie were invited that day by the family to come and meet the child they had saved.
The boy's mother posted the following on her Facebook page about FACES OF ANGELS, Nick and Debbie Meyers:
FACES OF ANGELS
Today, I am showing all of my dear friends and family the amazing couple, the miracle workers, our angels and HEROES who just met the boy who they saved! Our son was gone. He had no pulse. He was walking with angels. They brought him back to me and the odds of there being NO brain damage or neurological damage are 1/300,000,000! My son is 100%! God restored my son to me thru these angels on earth. My deepest gratitude, love and thanks to these incredible people! You both have found a place in my heart and I will cherish you and everything you did for us with every fabric of love in my heart forever!
THANK YOU, Debbie & Nick! Bountiful blessings & beauty to you both my dear angels!
Debbie and Nick did not share their amazing story at work. They did not want recognition on the news. They were kind enough to let UC Davis Patient Care Services share this story within our organization and with the DAISY Foundation.