An 18-year-old woman, newly integrated into the gendarmerie of Pont-de-Claix in Isère, saved the life of a 13-day-old newborn. The baby's mother, moved by the event, announced it as "an early Christmas miracle."
Just three weeks after joining the gendarmerie brigade of Pont-de-Claix, the 18-year-old volunteer gendarme saved the life of a newborn, as reported by Le Parisien.
On December 6, Maëlys was on patrol with two colleagues when they received a call from the gendarmerie's operational center, requesting urgent intervention in a building in Pont-de-Claix where a baby was choking.
Maëlys, originally from Var, explained that they quickly arrived at the scene.
"When I arrived in the apartment, I saw the mother in shock, collapsing. The 13-day-old baby was lying unconscious on the coffee table. The child's grandmother was present. She begged me to save her granddaughter," she recounted.
She then took Maïssaa, the baby, in her arms. The baby was blue and not breathing. Maëlys gave her five back slaps, and just as she was about to start cardiac massage, the baby started breathing again. "I was very relieved; I couldn't see myself leaving without having saved her," she confided.
Five minutes later, emergency services arrived to take care of the infant. Maëlys, who had been a firefighter, had undergone first aid training. "When I saw the baby's condition, I managed to channel my stress and perform the right actions," she assured.
The parents are very grateful. "At 18, she showed a lot of composure and courage. From the bottom of my heart, I thank her for saving my daughter. It's an early Christmas miracle," said Zineb, the 26-year-old mother. Amar, her husband, praised Maëlys's gesture.
Colonel Frédéric Massip received her this week to congratulate her, as did the commander of the Grenoble company, Arnaud Richard.
