‘Time just stopped’: 5-year-old stops breathing on Disney ride
By Megan Mellado
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KISSIMMEE, Florida (WESH) — Christine and Ernesto Tagle aren’t strangers to Disney.
They’ve been pass holders for years and go to the theme parks often, but this last trip looked a little different than the others.
“Never had he had any issue or instance of any heart, anything that would have put us on alert,” they said.
They said about 20 seconds into riding the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction, their 5-year-old son, Ernesto, stopped breathing and began having seizures.
“Time just stopped at the moment and it didn’t seem like we were moving fast enough,” they said.
As soon as they could, they pulled Ernesto off the ride and Christine started doing CPR.
A nurse and firefighter who were nearby stopped to help.
Then, cast members brought over an AED.
“We’re very fortunate to have him here and for the people that actually helped us out,” they said.
The couple said Ernesto was taken to three different hospitals and was eventually diagnosed with CPVT; a condition with an abnormal heart rhythm.
He had surgery and had a device placed on the side of his chest that would automatically shock him if necessary.
Within days, little Ernesto was back to his happy, high-energy self.
Christine and Ernesto’s message to other parents is to do CPR training.
“Every doctor that had come into our room while we were at the hospital with him, they all credited Christine for saving his life basically,” Ernesto said.
“When it comes to matters of the heart and the brain, with CPR, every second and every minute truly counts,” Christine said.
The family is now making it their mission to encourage families to take CPR classes and to make sure AED machines are more accessible.
They said they’re thankful the incident happened at Disney, where they had one nearby.
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