Heroic efforts from a North Vancouver mother and daughter duo was commemorated Saturday.
They saved the life of the youngest child in their family.
Siera and Yesica Edstrand saved the life of young 4-year-old Gunnar when Siera noticed her younger brother in their family pool face down, on June 5, 2021.
Siera said at the time of the near-drowning, she had a few friends over and they were swimming.
“(Gunnar) was in the shallow end and we just thought he was standing around,” Siera said.
“All of a sudden, one of my friends… she looks over and says, ‘Siera.. That’s GJ.’”
Siera said she then quickly swam over to her brother, whose head was submerged underwater.
“He was kind of floating but not really. His head was underwater,” said Siera. “He was purple, his lips were blue and his eyes were closed. It was the scariest moment of my life because he wasn’t waking up. It was about ten seconds but it felt like 10 minutes.”
Siera, who is now 15-years-old, was able to pull her brother from the pool and began cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), according to BC Emergency Health Services.
“She pulled him out of the water and yelled for her mother to call 911,” BC Emergency Health Services staff said.
“Siera began CPR. After calling 911, Yesica came out and took over the CPR. Gunnar vomited out a significant amount of fluid and began breathing again.”
The emergency services said the actions taken by the family saved the young child’s life.
Siera said she learned CPR at a lifeguard training course she took a few years prior.
For their heroic actions, BC Emergency Health Services held a small award presentation for the family, awarding Siera and Yesica the Vital Link Award.
The Vital Link Award is presented to citizens who are involved in saving a life through successful cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) efforts.
Yesica said it’s a harrowing reminder that everyone should know how to preform CPR, and that she is grateful her daughter Siera knew what to do and reacted so quickly.
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