4-year-old boy hospitalized at Boston Children’s after near-drowning at home

BOSTON — A 4-year-old boy from Shirley is still hospitalized at Boston Children’s Hospital after his mother found him face down in their pool Monday evening.

The Acton Fire Chief who was off-duty at the time helped save that boy’s life and an Ayer woman is credited with being the first one there to perform CPR.

“She said, my son he fell in the pool and I just went completely into…. I don’t even know what kind of mode I just said, ‘I’ll take him!’" said Kayla Pitard.

Pitard said she was simply in the right place at the right time. She was driving on Lawton Road Monday evening when she said she saw a woman holding her 4-year-old son in her arms, calling for help.

“I took the boy from her arms and put him on the ground and I just started doing what I thought is right. I’m not CPR certified or anything but I just started doing compressions,” said Pitard.

Pitard was the lifeline they needed, determined to save this boy while her fiancé called 911. Minutes later, Acton’s Fire Chief, Robert Hart, who was off-duty at the time, joined in the rescue.

“As soon as he arrived there he had an AED, applied it and used an amps bag and a suction cup to take out the water that was in his mouth,” said Shirley Police Chief Samuel Santiago.

Pitard said she continued doing chest compression while the chief praised her.

“He said, ‘You’re doing such a great job,’ I said, ‘Am I doing this right?’" said Pitard. "I was so scared I might have had my hands in the wrong spot, he said, ‘You’re doing great, we’re just going to turn him on his side so I could hook up these patches.’”

Pitard said she’s been praying for the boy’s recovery, hopeful to one day be reunited with him and his family. She said she plans on getting CPR certified and encourages everyone to do the same.

Shirley Police plan on awarding Pitard for her courage and bravery and Pitard hopes they will reunite her with Chief Hart.

The family has asked for privacy during this time.

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