COLUMBIA, Tenn. -
Maury County 911 dispatcher, Missy Edwards, said one of her worst nightmares came true recently when she answered an emergency call from a panicked mother whose young son had fallen in the family's swimming pool.
Turns out, the voice on the other line was no stranger; it was her friend, Brook Fitzgerald.
"The job that we work in is very, very stressful and you add a personal connection to it and it changes tremendously," Edwards told Nashville's News 2.
Fitzgerald and her three-year-old son, Jamison, were swimming in their backyard pool last weekend when she went to make him some lunch, leaving him alone for a few moments.
During those brief moments, the toddler fell into the water.
"As a mother, you know, my heart sinks immediately and you think I can do this. I can help her," Edwards told Nashville's News 2.
Edwards was gathering basic information from the mother over the phone when she heard something that caught her attention.
"I listen for a second and she says the child's name. Immediately I thought, I know this child," said Edwards.
She continued, "That's always a huge fear, knowing that you know them changes everything."
Moments later, Jamison was pulled from the water and saved by his own mother who is a registered nurse and was able to perform CPR.
"I hear the child cry which is a huge relief for the dispatcher because you know they're getting air," said Edwards.
Jamison was transported to a local hospital where he was treated and released.
"He's back in the pool. He's excited and he'll be just fine. I did my job, it's our job, no matter the connection," said Edwards.
Both the mother and dispatcher said the incident highlights the importance of learning CPR.
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