ORLANDO, FLA. (WSVN) - A New Mexico teen’s spring break trip to Florida took a heart-stopping turn when she noticed a toddler in trouble at a hotel pool and dove in for a swift save, earning gratitude from the victim’s mother.
Thirteen-year-old Kaydence Henslee shared the tense moment she saved another child’s life back in March.
“I just put my arms under her and carried her out,” she said.
The Henslee family of New Mexico said it happened while they were vacationing at a resort in Orlando.
Kaydence said she was at the pool with her sisters when she noticed a toddler at the bottom of the deep end.
“When I went out of the pool, I called for help, and someone gave her CPR and called 911,” she said.
The girl she pulled out of the pool is named Haven.
“She was very blue, like purple/blue,” said Ashley Williams, the child’s mother.
Williams said there was miscommunication about which family member was keeping an eye on Haven.
The near drowning happened in an instant.
“I was like, ‘That’s my baby!'” sad Williams. “I kind of pushed through the crowd, and I just was screaming and crying.”
Haven was rushed to the hospital and is OK.
Williams said, when they got back to the hotel, she learned a teenager was the one who rescued her daughter.
“I’m just so thankful for Kaydence, for her quick thinking,” she said.
The two families now share a powerful bond.
“I immediately called her dad, and I was just thanking him. I thanked Kaydence,” said Williams. “If it wasn’t for her, my baby would not be celebrating her fourth birthday today.”
“It seems like we’ve got some lifelong friends, perhaps, even though we’re separated by a few states, and so we’re really grateful,” said Matt Henslee, Kaydence’s father.
A possible tragedy was avoided after Kaydence sprang into action.
“I don’t think that I’m a hero, because it was just the right thing to do that anybody else could have done,” she said.
Haven is said to be doing OK.
The families said they plan to keep in touch.
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