GIBSON COUNTY, TN -
(WMC) - A Gibson County 3-year-old who nearly died after trying to rescue a cat from her family pool talks about the experience and says she saw Jesus.
Like many Mid-South parents, Johnny and Christy Kimbro say they spend a lot of time in the pool with their kids, especially during the hot summer months.
They are thankful after their 3-year-old daughter, Ella, nearly drowned after she said she reached in the pool to rescue her cat Elsa.
"What I do remember is standing over my daughter and I reached down to feel for a pulse, couldn't find a pulse," says Johnny.
On May 22, the three Kimbro kids were out riding their bikes when Christy looked out and didn't see little Ella.
When she looked over at their pool, she saw her young daughter floating face up.
"She was blue, she was cold. I pulled her out of the pool. She wasn't breathing," adds Christy.
Ella's father, Johnny, started CPR. Her pupils were dilated.
"I thought she was dead when I first saw her. I remember yelling ‘Oh My God, she's dead!,'" adds Christy.
After a few minutes of CPR, Ella regained consciousness.
She was airlifted to LeBonheur Children's Hospital and was on a ventilator for five days.
When she woke up, her mom will never forget the story little Ella told.
"She said she drowned. She saw a bright light and a man walking to her with long hair. My sister showed her a picture on her phone and asked who it was ... it was a pic of Jesus. Ella said that was the man that saved her and she's never heard a bright light story before," Christy continues.
Ella is now fully recovered.
And even though her parents say they always watch their kids, anything can happen in a split second.
"If you have a pool, I suggest you get CPR training because that's what saved her life," says Christy.
Copyright 2014 WMC Action News 5. All rights reserved.
They were doing things around the house, when they found their 3-year-old daughter Ella floating in the family's swimming pool. (Photo Source: WMC Action News 5)
Ella remembers seeing a light and then seeing a man. (Photo Source: WMC Action News 5)
