Teen Hero on KMOT-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader

Teen Hero | Video

10/23/2009

Leslie Lopez isn`t even one month old yet and has already had the scare of her life.

The newborn baby girl was only seconds away from dying, but she`s still alive because a next door neighbor knew exactly what to do.

Jennifer Novelo, 17, says it was a medical class offered by her high school that taught her the basics of CPR.

She says she never thought she would have to use the life-saving technique in real life to save newborn Leslie.

"The baby, she wasn`t breathing and I guess she was choking on something," Novelo explained.

That`s when Leslie`s mother, Blanca, started screaming for help in her Bonita Springs apartment complex.

Novelo, an Estero High School senior, was one of the first to the rescue.

"The baby was blue, almost turning purple, and she was still - she wasn`t responsive," Novelo said.

Instinct kicked in and she remembered her training from Estero High School`s Medical Academy.

"The only thing I could think of was hitting it on the back and flipping it and doing CPR on it, and then giving rescue breaths. And after I did that, it started crying and I knew the baby was breathing at that moment," she said.

At that point, Leslie`s mother was also able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Firefighters we spoke to said they were very impressed with Novelo`s actions.

"For a 17-year-old to recognize this and respond and act on it, it just says a lot about what the program is doing," said Greg Dewitt, of Bonita Fire and Rescue.

Now, Novelo says her medical training so far and the real life emergency have truly prepared her for a career in nursing.

"I actually want to be a CNA and to have that as a job while I`m going to college so I can earn extra money," she said.

Bonita Springs Fire and Rescue is applauding Novela`s efforts and urges others to take life saving CPR courses.

BACK TO NBC VIDEOS STORIES

Search News Stories

BACK TO NEWS HOME

Sister Stations: KFYR TV in Bismarck, KUMV in Williston, KQCD in Dickinson