Boy's perform CPR, help save mom's life
From abclocal.go.com
February 19th, 2008

A northwest Indiana mother can thank her three young children for saving her life. Deanna Faught passed out in her home Monday. That's when her sons, aged 9, 12 and 14, called 9-1-1 and performed CPR.

The oldest boy had taken a basic CPR class at school, but the younger boys followed the lead of their brother and did what they'd seen on television. There wasn't much time, they simply took action, and their work paid off.

Deanna Faught is recovering in a northwest Indiana hospital. Monday afternoon, she had the worst asthma attack of her life, blacking out at home in respiratory arrest. Fortunately, her sons were home for the holiday: 9-year-old Dawson, 14-year-old Scott and 12-year-old Dakota. Dakota called 9-1-1, and then they all took turns doing CPR on their mom.

"She wasn't breathing. Her heart stopped beating. And they do the mouth-to-mouth thing and I pushed the stomach for her. And we switched," said Scott Kuta, Deanna's son.

"God was on our side and everything," said Dawson Kuta, Deanna's son.

"We were pretty happy that my mom is all right and everything," said Dakota Kuta, Deanna's son.

Emergency room doctor Jonathan Renkas says those extra minutes of life support kept Faught going until paramedics arrived.

"The kids allowed this woman probably to oxygenate, or get help for a long enough period of time, where EMS was able to arrive and resuscitate her and get her to the emergency room for more care," said Dr. Jonathan Renkas, Methodist Hospital.

The entire extended family arrived at the hospital shocked by the near death asthma attack and amazed by the boys' efforts to save their mom.

"My great kids saved my daughter's life by performing CPR on her until the paramedics got there. And I'm so proud of them," said Phyllis Faught, Deanna's mother.

"They really do come together in a moment of crisis," said Deanna Faught.

Deanna had been recovering from back surgery. Her doctor think the combination of pain medication and an asthma trigger made the attack so bad.

Emergency room doctors urge everyone to get CPR training as you never know when someone may need immediate help.

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