Arizona girl recalls saving her toddler brother from drowning by CPR

GLENDALE, Ariz. - The Glendale and Phoenix fire departments are honoring a 9-year-old girl who saved her younger brother's life from drowning.

Last month, a Glendale family had a scare of a lifetime, and the mother is sharing their story in hopes it will save the lives of others.

What seemed like a normal weekend for the Holmstrom family almost turned deadly for their youngest child, three-year-old Laiken.

"This was my worst nightmare," his mother Tiinaliisa said. "He died essentially and then came back."

Saving Laiken's life was all thanks to his 9-year-old sister Tenley who sprung into action.

"I was saying, 'What's wrong with Laiken?' And then I was like, ‘What should I do?’ And then I remembered about CPR and then I started chest compressions," Tenley said.

Under pressure, Tenley started CPR and got her brother to start breathing before paramedics could get there.

"Our quickest thing was since we did have a kid who was breathing, we wanted to scoop him up, get him in the ambulance, get him to the hospital as soon as possible, that was our goal," Todd Armfield, a Phoenix firefighter, said.

Tiinaliisa, a mother of 5, was in the ambulance with her son as he was rushed to the hospital.

"What happened was Laiken had a medical emergency in the water. He had his floaty on. He told his sisters that, ‘Hey, I’m not feeling good,' and he went unconscious over his floaty and into the water," Tiinaliisa said.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WATER SAFETY FROM PHOENIX CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL HERE

Hearing Laiken breathe seconds after being pulled out of the pool, was a sigh of relief for everyone.

"My aunt Linda showed us video of Laiken crying on my mom's lap, and I was so relieved. I was so worried about him," his sister Tenley said.

It's a day that could have ended much worse and the Holmstrom family is thankful Laiken is alive.

"I'm glad he's OK because I don't know what I would do without him," Tenley said. "He means a lot since he always cheers me up when I'm sad."

Because of her heroic actions, she received two awards: One from the Phoenix Fire Department and the other from the mayor of Glendale.

Glendale Fire wants to remind parents about some pool safety tips, saying it's always a good idea to have barriers around your pool, teach your children how to swim and teach them CPR.

They say 9 years old is an appropriate age to learn.