Florida parents reportedly went through a roller coaster of emotions last week after their 5-year-old son suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of a ride at Walt Disney World theme park .
“I was screaming, I was hitting him and I kept saying something was wrong,” his mother, Christine Tagle, told Fox35, who was sitting right behind her little boy when he lost consciousness. on September 21.
That day, little Ernesto Tagle III, whose family had a Walt Disney World membership, had just sat down on one of his favorite Guardians of the Galaxy-themed roller coasters when his heart would have given out in the middle of the ride.
Panicked, his mother who was just behind him in the small car then realized that her son’s heart was no longer beating while the spatial landscapes continued to pass by despite his cries for help.
After a few minutes, the ride finally came to a stop and the little one was able to receive first aid.
“It was discovered he wasn’t breathing and he started having convulsions. Christine began CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) as well as chest compressions,” said her father, who bears the same name as his son, in a post on Instagram.
A couple made up of a nurse and an emergency medical technician, who happened to be on the scene, reportedly rushed to their mother’s side to help, while a Disney employee quickly brought a defibrillator to restart the boy’s heart, according to the dad.
Emergency airlifted to an Orlando medical center, the little one was reportedly diagnosed with a rare heart disease, catecholergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), which can cause cardiac arrhythmia during periods of excitement.
The family had no idea of his condition until his last trip to the amusement park, according to Fox35.
“We didn’t know if he would be okay when he woke up. Brain or heart damage? The unknown was the worst,” testified Ernesto Tagle II.
To prevent a repeat of the situation, the little one had to undergo surgery to install an EV-ICD, an internal defibrillator designed to monitor the heart.
Screenshot taken from Instagram
“I am happy to say that Ernesto is doing well after surgery, with no signs of damage. Better yet, this warrior is already asking to ride his little motorcycle, his father laughed in writing. We can’t thank the people who helped us enough.”
While the boy and his family are slowly recovering from their emotions, they wanted to hammer home one thing: everyone should have their CPR certification on hand.
“Get certified or take a refresher course. You never know when you will need it,” the dad concluded in his post.
