Protect your siblings.
It’s something we’ve all been told growing up. Things are bound to happen when growing alongside a brother or sister. Things that require you to spring into action with little thought of the repercussions.
Whether it’s standing up to their bully or alerting an adult when they are in trouble. Acting in some way is usually better than not acting at all.
Ten-year-old Jayla Dallis wasted no time when she saw her younger sister, three-year-old Kali Dallis, in a life-or-death scenario.
The two were swimming in a pool at The Savoy apartment complex in Chamblee, Georgia, supervised by their aunt.
Kali was in the shallow end of the pool and her sister was on the other end. Kali swam with a green tube that went around her waist. It was a floaty device meant to keep the swimmer afloat.
However, when Kali jumped in, she capsized turning her head down into the water. With the floaty device still around her waist, she was unable to flip herself upright. The little girl struggled frantically to keep above water.
When she was finally able to get herself out of the device, she continued to struggle to stay above the water. Gasping for air, she flared about in a desperate attempt to survive.
As this occurred, Jayla had just gotten out of the other end of the pool. She looked over and saw her sister drowning.
Jayla did not hesitate. She ran over and jumped into the pool and pulled her out.
Kali wasn’t moving or breathing.
Jayla described the scenario:
“She was, like, heavy, so I had to pull her by her hair, then I grabbed her by her waist and pulled her up.”
A witness dialed 911 while the girl’s aunt and a bystander took turns performing CPR.
The officer en route to the scene was Sergeant Ed Lyons. Lyons’ body camera captured the officer racing to the poolside.
Lyons has a six-year-old daughter himself and immediately saw her as the lifeless Kali.
“I saw my little girl laying there, same kind of little bathing suit she wears, same little hair pulled up in a little bun up top. You know, you’ve got to kind of push past that and do what you’re trained to do.”
Lyons performed CPR and was able to get a pulse. But Kali wasn’t out of the dark yet.
She was taken to Scottish Rite and placed on a ventilation machine. Her mother arrived and was told that she might not survive.
Fortunately, two weeks later, Kali was expected to make a full recovery.
“It’s amazing. It’s a miracle,” her mother said.
She also issued this warning:
“Don’t take your eyes off them,” she said, “don’t take your eyes off them. All the floats are not safe. Be careful. Watch your kids.”
She’s also very grateful for Sergeant Lyons and refers to him as a “lifesaver.”
After the incident, Jayla was hailed a “Dekalb County Hero.”
When Kali was in the hospital, Jayla missed her school’s end-of-the-year award program. In addition to receiving an A/B Honor Roll certificate and a medallion, June 11 was officially proclaimed as Jayla Dallis Day in Dekalb County.
When asked what it is she wants to be when she grows up, she said a police officer.
There’s no doubt that she would be an outstanding one.
You can watch the heart-pounding rescue in the video below.
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