Right Place, Right Time

Kelly Stultz wasn’t even supposed to be at her friend’s pool on the afternoon of June 21. But fortunately for a 3-year-old boy and his mom, Kelly was. A medical assistant at Beacon Medical Group Ireland Road and mother of two, Kelly was enjoying the cookout with the other parents and eight children.

The afternoon fun was winding down when an 8-year-old boy noticed a younger child in the pool underwater. The older boy pulled him up and immediately the 3-year-old’s mother began screaming at the sight of her lifeless son. Her back turned to the situation, Kelly felt a surge of adrenaline, and darted towards the mother, yelling, “Give him to me! Give him to me!” She urged people to call 911.

The child wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a heartbeat. Kelly began chest compressions on the boy whose body had turned gray.

After two minutes, the boy coughed and choked, so Kelly turned his body to the side and finger-swept his mouth, from which came fragments of food. She then began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Color started to return to his face, so she picked him up into her arms as he opened his eyes and began to breathe again on his own. Suddenly overcome with fear, the boy shrieked. “It was the best sound I ever heard,” says Kelly.

Paramedics arrived and he was taken to Memorial for treatment. The next day at the hospital, the little boy put his arms around Kelly and said, “I love you.”

St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department awarded Kelly a citation for her heroic efforts. As a result of her lifesaving efforts, more than 100 people have since signed up for CPR training.

“As long as you are doing something, it’s better than nothing,” Kelly says of CPR. “I would do it again in a heartbeat. It’s worth it for any life.”