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Progress and recovery of 2-year-old in a near drowning has family thankful for 2nd chance

By
Updated  November 6, 2024 5:55pm MST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 10 Phoenix

Toddler reunites with rescuers after near drowning

Two-year-old Annuziata Newell was reunited with the firefighters who rescued her after a near drowning incident in February. FOX 10's Lindsey Ragas has the story.

The Brief

    • The family of two-year-old Annunziata Newell is grateful after she nearly drowned in their family's backyard pool in February.
    • She has made a recovery thanks to swift actions by her father and the Phoenix Fire Department and getting back to living a normal life.
    • Annuziata was reunited with the firefighters who helped rescue her today and enjoyed a variety of goodies provided for her and her siblings.

PHOENIX - A Phoenix family is calling it a miracle after their two-year-old daughter suffered a near-drowning incident in their backyard. 

All is well months after the scariest day of Bill and Teresa Newell's life, the parents of two-year-old Annunziata.

On February 22nd, the Newell's were preparing dinner for their family of six to eat in the backyard. 

"We have a fence and everything, and so we had the gate open to go move all the food out there, and it was a situation like, ‘go gather the kids,’" said one of the parents.

"I went to look for Nunzie and Teresa went inside to look and I went outside and that's when I discovered her in the pool. I pulled her out and started CPR on her myself," Bill said.

Teresa immediately called for help, and the Phoenix Fire Department was there in minutes. 

"I remember them cutting off her clothes, starting to do all the work on her, and it was the scariest moment of our life," she recounted.

Annunziata spent the next month in the hospital. 

"For the days after, that's all I would see when I close my eyes. Her, faced down in the pool," one of the parents said.

Today, she's in good health, running around as a 2-year-old should. 

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"My family is my life. My vocation in life is to be a father and husband, so they are my primary responsibility," said Bill.

Firefighters who helped save her life were able to meet her again under better circumstances. 

"So now, it's very inspirational. For 24 hours we deal with a lot of traumatizing calls, so to have these impactful calls that impact us in a positive manner, they're very impactful to our lives," said Anthony Harrison, acting captain at Station 39.

The Source

  • The family of Bill and Theresa Newell and the Phoenix Fire Department.