STANWOOD, Wash. — A family in Stanwood is hoping their baby’s close call comes with a powerful takeaway for others: taking a CPR and first aid course can mean the difference between life and death.
Their routine Friday morning became a race against the clock after nine-month-old Tucker started choking on a piece of plastic that his young sibling had shoved in his mouth.
“I just knew right away; he wasn’t making any noise,” said mom Sophie Pearson. “He couldn’t breathe.”
Sophie called 911 and began delivering back blows, a first-aid method that involves striking a person who is choking between their shoulder blades on their back. They weren’t working.
“He was really limp, and I just thought, ‘This is it,’” Sophie said.
Sophie was an EMT. Her husband, Mitch, is a firefighter. But with three other young kids in the house, they needed more hands to respond.
“Our six-year-old was on the porch screaming,” Mitch said. “(Tucker) was starting to lose color.”
While EMS response times vary, Mitch knew the national average is about seven minutes.
“Said a quick prayer,” he said. “And God answered.”
The first miracle involved the Pearson’s neighbor: Brooke Jacobson. Sophie ran across the street and banged on her door.
“First thought, just get to him and figure out what’s going on,” Jacobson said.
Jacobson is a 911 dispatcher in Snohomish County. Previously, she worked as an EMT.
She took Tucker from Mitch to allow him to help his other kids, and continued performing back blows.
“The back blows that people need to give for kids at that age is a lot harder than they think it is,” Jacobson said.
Once Mitch ran back outside, law enforcement officers had arrived. Mitch and Jacobson used their flashlight to check where the object was, and continued back blows.
Just before they were about to begin CPR, Tucker’s eyes popped open.
“I’ve been working in fire and EMS professionally for nearly 11 years,” Mitch said. “You see people either panic, run away, or react. And I was lucky to have a neighbor and a friend that reacted.”
“I may have acted quickly, but I was no less terrified on the inside, and that’s just where the efficiency and the repetition of your training comes into play,” Jacobson said.
Now, Tucker is back to giggling and playing with mom and dad.
They want others to know it wasn’t all luck that saved him: it was having the right training.
“I really think everyone should get CPR and first aid training,” Sophie said. “You having that training can be the difference between life and death.”
There are numerous CPR and first aid courses. Several are free and most only take a few hours.
Below, find a list of some of the free and paid options that are offered across the region.
This list is nonexhaustive, and if you can’t find one listed in your area, connect with your local government to determine your options.
KING COUNTY:
SNOHOMISH COUNTY:
PIERCE COUNTY:
WASHINGTON:
ONLINE:
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