Not all heroes wear capes, some wear navy blue, carry silver badges and work to keep our streets safe. One of the most important qualities of being a police officer is having the ability to think on your feet: and Sergeant Paul James proved this during a traumatic event that took place on a seemingly normal Wednesday morning when he saved the life of 10-week-old baby, Lucas.
This is Gracemere’s story of gratitude for their heroic and fast-thinking police force or keeping their community safe and saving Lucas’ life.
According to an article by ABC News, ‘on September 2, Sergeant James was visiting the Gracemere Police Station when a frantic mother arrived at the door with the child.’ Baby Lucas was unresponsive and blue in the face.
Sergeant James reflected on the ordeal, explaining that ‘it was quite incredible to watch everyone just click into their own role’ as the team of officers launched into action in an attempt to save Lucas’ life.
Although Sergeant James is professionally trained in CPR, he was anxious that it wouldn’t give him the outcome they were hoping for: ‘I can say this is the very first time I’ve ever managed to get someone back doing CPR. We go to a lot of jobs, we do a lot of things where we don’t have a positive result and I, for one, have done CPR many, many times throughout my career’, he explained.
Not only was this the first time he had performed the life-saving procedure on a baby, but it was an extremely unique case in other ways too, saying that ‘normally if we’re doing CPR it’s as a result of a trauma or an overdose… whereas this is an innocent baby who is suffering from an illness.’
Sergeant James’ actions saved Lucas’ life that day. Since then, he has ‘been diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism, a rare condition that means he was born without a thyroid. It caused a loss of muscle around his throat, which led to his breathing stopping that day.’
After recovering in hospital, Lucas is now home and well. Lucas’ mum commented on the aftermath of the ordeal, stating that it was ‘a very proud moment for everyone that’s been involved to see little bub healthy, the right colour, responsive and just being a baby — it’s great.’
Imagine if we all took the time today to thank our emergency services for the incredible work that they do to keep our communities safe. To have active emergency services that are always available when we need them the most is an incredible asset that should not be taken for granted. Maybe next time you see a police officer on a break, you could shout them a coffee to say thanks, or post a message of gratitude on sharegratitude.com today to share how you feel.
Who are you grateful for? Say thank you the best way we know how, by sharing your story on sharegratitude.com