THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 24, 1994 TAG: 9411220224
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REBECCA A. MYERS, VIRGINIAN-PILOT/LEDGER STAR
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
When Darla Belton found her 16-day-old daughter gasping for air, foaming at the mouth and starting to change color, she screamed ``Oh Lord, not my baby! Not my baby!''
She couldn't lose another baby. Not again. The haunting memory of her stillbirth just two years before had only begun to fade with the recent arrival of Tyler Jordan.
But Tyler, born Oct. 10, was in trouble. She had stopped breathing for no apparent reason. The baby's grandmother, Juliette Holmes, called 911.
``I know CPR, but I was just in a panic,'' said Holmes, who until that moment had been enjoying the afternoon visit from her daughter and granddaughter. ``I honestly didn't know what to do. She was too tiny for us to beat her in the back. And I would never have dreamed of doing compressions on somebody so tiny. I just really was no good.''
At the same time the call was being dispatched, Betty and Joseph Wright, active members of Cavalier Manor's neighborhood watch, were returning from a routine patrol of Waters Middle School. They were only three doors away from Holmes' Horne Avenue home when they heard the call for help on the police scanner. Betty Wright asked her husband to pull up to the house.
``I just went in and told them that I knew CPR and I asked them what could I do,'' Wright said. ``The lady threw the baby in my arms. The baby wasn't breathing at the time. I gave the baby CPR and got her breathing again.''
Apparently, the baby was choking on her own mucus.
``When I blew into her mouth, there was a lot of cold that came out of the nostrils,'' Wright said. ``I did that several times. I didn't want to do chest compressions unless I had to because of the baby being so young. I'm really glad that I didn't have to because they're so fragile at that age.''
By the time emergency crews arrived just a few minutes later, Tyler was out of danger and breathing on her own again. Portsmouth Fire Capt. Joseph Grandison, with Station 10 on Victory Boulevard, said it is not uncommon for mucus to block a baby's airway.
``A lot of times, kids dislodge these things themselves, but there's always the possibility that they won't, and then you have real problems,'' Grandison said.
On Tuesday, Betty Wright was presented with a Portsmouth Medal of Honor by City Council.
``Never in my wildest dreams did I really expect anything like this because when you do something like that, you really don't expect any type of award. Just a `thank you' is good enough for me,'' said Wright, who received accolades not just from Tyler's family but from the emergency workers as well.
``I told them it was just part of my job . . . and I guess the motherly and grandmotherly instinct in me,'' she said.
Wright, a mother of three, has eight grandchildren ranging in age from 2 to 13. Last month's near tragedy was hauntingly familiar to Wright, who nearly 33 years ago saved the life of one of her daughters in much the same way.
``The same thing happened to our youngest daughter when she was four months old. As a matter of fact, it happened the same way,'' said Wright, who is certified in CPR annually as part of a project sponsored by her fraternal organization.
``Children are my life,'' said Wright, a teacher with the Head Start program.
Today, a month later, Tyler is ``just as chubby and healthy, with no problems with her breathing or anything,'' said her grandmother. ``I saw her yesterday, and I just keep saying `Thank God everything is all right. You're just fine.' ''
Of Wright, Holmes said, ``Thank God for her. She came in and gave the baby mouth-to-mouth. I just thank God that she happened to come at that time, I really do. She was just wonderful.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER
Betty Wright performed CPR on Tyler Belton, who apparently was
choking when Wright intervened.
by CNB