Tristin Saghin, 9, Saves His Sister with CPR After Swimming Pool Incident in Mesa, Arizona
A 9-year-old Arizona boy saved his little sister, drowning in a backyard pool. Tristin Saghin said he learned CPR by watching television.
Mesa Fire Department firefighter/paramedic, Captain Forrest Smith says Tristin Saghin saved his younger sister’s life when he rescued her after he found her floating in a swimming pool, not breathing. Tristin imitated CPR that he has seen on a movie, and successfully carried it out on his nearly dead sister. She was transported to Cardon Children’s Medical Center and is expected to have a complete recovery.
Tristin said he learned CPR from watching Blackhawk Down were there is a scene of CPR.
We’ve tried to turn this movie off a hundred times, and he watches these scenes over and over these scenes over and over. He dresses up like a medic and he runs around doing these things, and we always thought it was so silly, but you know what? … that silly movie that cost a few dollars? … saved our daughter’s life.
— Chris Saghin, Father of Tristin and Brook
The incident was the area’s third drowning call in two days. A 3-year-old girl drowned Saturday in a family swimming pool in Mesa, and a 7-year-old girl drowned in an above-ground pool in South Phoenix. Maricopa County has seen 28 drowning calls, 14 of which have been fatal since the beginning of the year.
Great. Now, schools are going to have an excuse for showing R-rated movies to 4th-graders. “It could save a life.” According to the MPAA, the movie “Black Hawk Down” is “Rated R for intense, realistic, graphic war violence, and for language” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265086/). What other life skills did this 9-year-old pick up from that movie? Has he learned to swear? Has he learned how to kill? Granted, I am thankful that he was able to help save his sister’s life. According to the Today Show, however, he was just one of a group of family and neighbors who helped administer the CPR. In my opinion, the Boy Scouts or YMCA or Boys and Girls Clubs or even a Big Brother Program is a much more appropriate way for a child to learn such skills.