5-Year-Old Boy Who Suffered 'Seizures' on Disney Ride Was Saved by Passing Couple and Staff, Say Parents
10/02/2024 08:19 AM
Ernesto Tagle III "passed out" while riding 'Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind' on Saturday, Sept. 21
The parents of a 5-year-old boy who collapsed while riding a Disney World rollercoaster are "thankful" that strangers and staff helped save their son's life.
Christine Tagle and Ernesto Tagle Jr. shared in a social media post that on Saturday, Sept. 21, their son Ernesto III "passed out" during a ride, which they identified as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind — a fully-enclosed rollercoaster located at Disney World's Epcot — to Fox 35 Orlando.
In the Friday, Sept. 27 post, they said they had found out that "he wasn't breathing and started going into seizures." Christine, who told Fox 35 Orlando that she had been sitting behind her son, said she had quickly realized what was happening.
"I was screaming, hitting him, and saying something's wrong," she recalled to the outlet.
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In the Instagram post the family shared, they said the concerned mother "started CPR along with chest compressions," and another passing couple on the ride helped them "get our son breathing again." They told Fox 35 Orlando that the couple happened to be a nurse and an EMT.
They also got additional help from Disney staff who brought over an AED, a medical device that can help people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, which helped restart his heart. The family said on Instagram that Ernesto III was then "transported to the ER," where he was stabilized.
After being transferred to another hospital via helicopter, which ran tests, it was determined that he had a rare heart condition called CPVT, which causes an "irregular heart rhythm that can be life-threatening," per Cedars Sinai. This can occur when someone is "physically active" or "emotionally stressed," the hospital noted.
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The hospital determined that the boy would need to have surgery to place an "EV-ICD," or "extravascular defibrillator" which treats sudden cardiac arrest and abnormal heart rhythms, on his body.
"I'm happy to say that Ernesto is doing well after surgery with no signs of brain or heart damage," the family shared on social media. "Even better, this warrior is already home and already asking to ride his motorcycle 😂."
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Christine told Fox 35 Orlando that they "feel so lucky" that the incident "didn't rob us of his smile and energy."
The boy's father, Ernesto added that they were "just so thankful everything worked out the way it did," and they "can't thank the people who helped us enough."
In the post, the family noted that "not all [heroes] wear capes," and called Ernesto their "miracle child." They concluded the post by encouraging others to "get CPR certified" as "you never know when you'll need it."
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