Rugby
Baby Bok medics save teen
2010-03-05 20:38
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Saldanha Bay - The South African Under-20 medical team were hailed as heroes on Friday after saving the life of 15-year-old Desiree Jaftha after she was found in a coma in a local swimming pool.
The Baby Bok medical team were praised by the grandmother Brenda Claasen on Friday when they met at the team hotel in Saldanha Bay as they relived Thursday morning's drama.
"I am extremely grateful for the efforts of the South African Under-20 medical team," said Claasen.
"My granddaughter is alive because of their heroics and all I can say on behalf of the family is thank you. I don't think I would ever be able to repay the guys who assisted my granddaughter yesterday. It was a miracle, but thank god, they were there to save her." said Claasen.
The Baby Boks were training in preparation of their international match against Argentina Under-20s which takes place at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.
While the players were put through their paces by the coaches, the medical team were alerted by fellow swimmers of a girl who was "drowning" in the swimming pool and immediately removed the girl, who was at that stage in a coma, from the pool.
Baby Boks team doctor Arthur Williams and physiotherapist Wayne Hector, who was also on the scene, initiated CPR and transported her to the Vredenburg Provincial Hospital.
"Graham Bentz (SA Under-20 conditioning coach) was first on the scene and managed to get her out of the swimming pool, but by that stage she was already in a critical condition," said Williams.
"We waited for the ambulance, but while applying CPR for 10 minutes, we then decided to use the team management's combi and transported her to the hospital.
"At the hospital she was non-responsive and the worst was expected. We continued to apply CPR and her vital signs eventually stabilised. The hospital staff in the emergency room quickly assisted us to monitor her.
"We believe that she returned to consciousness at about 9pm last night. This morning she was released from hospital into the care of her family. She remembers nothing about the incident, but we are happy to have been able to have save the life of a young girl." said Williams.
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