Iredell family hopes toddler's near-drowning serves as warning

It was just before 7:30 p.m. on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and 2-year-old Annika Johnson was lying face down at the bottom of her family's pool.

She was only missing for a brief moment, her mom and grandmother say - less than two minutes. But that was long enough for the rambunctious and spunky tot to fall into a situation where she would be fighting for her life.

"Her mom pokes her head in the door and says, 'Is Ana here?' and I said 'No' and the next thing I heard was hysterics," said the girl's grandmother, Wanda Johnson, said.

The mom, Patti Johnson, knew Annika loves water so she ran to the pool. She saw her daughter at the bottom and jumped in to pull Annika out, no hesitation, she said.

It wasn't over yet, though. The 2-year-old wasn't breathing. She didn't have a pulse.

'A COUPLE OF SECONDS AND SHE'S GONE'

That day was Aug. 20. Annika was surrounded by family during a gathering at Wanda Johnson's northern Iredell home on Smith Farm Drive.

Annika and three other kids had just gotten out of the pool - where they were closely supervised - and moved on to the trampoline, the family recalls. Annika's flotation device came off.

But family members didn't take down the ladder to the 18-foot-round, 4-foot-deep above-ground pool. They normally do as a safety measure to keep unsupervised kids out, they say, but didn't that day.

"She was curious. She didn't know she needs a float," Patti Johnson said of her daughter. "You can turn your eye away for a couple of seconds and she's gone."

A FAMILY IN PRAYER

As soon as Annika was out of the water, Wanda Johnson sprung to action. Wanda is a dispatcher for Iredell Emergency Communications and is trained in how to perform CPR on small children.

So Annika was laid down and Wanda began compressions on her own granddaughter.

Annika's uncle Josh was on the phone with 911 and the Harmony Volunteer Fire Department and Iredell EMS were on their way. But it would be nearly 15 minutes before first responders arrived.

In those minutes, Annika's life was in God's hands, her family says.

"I was scared I lost her so I called my parents and had them pray for her," Patti Johnson said through tears.

Annika's dad, Brandon, was in a work meeting at the time. He looked at his phone a while later to read a series of texts: "Ana drowned. 911. 911. Come home now."

"I was devastated," he said. "The only thing I could think is I won't ever see her again. The only thing I could do is pray to God that he didn't take my little girl."

After several minutes of CPR, Annika seemed to try to breath, ever so slightly. There was still no pulse and she wasn't getting air, but Wanda Johnson says Annika eventually gave a tiny moan.

"We are very strong in our faith," Wanda Johnson said. "I know this was a freak accident but God showed up strong at that time. I certainly take no credit - I was just the instrument being used."

HER FAVORITE MOVIE

The first on the scene was Todd Cranfill, an off-duty firefighter. Seconds later, paramedics arrived.

By now, Annika was trying to cry, a welcomed sound to her family. Emergency crews gave the girl oxygen, and Annika tried to cry a little more, Wanda recalls.

Then she threw up water. Crews loaded her up into the back of an ambulance, her mom rode in the front seat, and Annika was rushed to Brenner's Children's Hospital in Winston-Salem.

She began crying louder the closer they got to the hospital. Once in the emergency room, doctors X-rayed her lungs and found there was no water inside.

Then, Annika began to talk.

"We knew she'd be OK because the first thing she asked is 'Can I watch 'Moana'?'" Patti Johnson said. "As soon as she asked if she could watch her favorite movie I knew I had my girl back."

Her family arrived, including her dad who left work in a rush. And the next afternoon, Annika was out of the hospital - the fastest recovery hospital staff told the family they've seen a drowning patient make.

The toddler made a full recovery, family said. There were no lingering brain conditions from having gone without oxygen for so long.

If you didn't know she had drowned, you wouldn't be able to tell, they say.

"I know we serve an awesome God and we have living proof of a miracle," Wanda Johnson said.

FAMILY THANKS FIRST RESPONDERS

As a dispatcher, Wanda knows not all emergency calls have happy endings. She recalled answering a call earlier this year where a toddler died after being found in a hot car.

A week after the incident, the family met and thanked all the first responders who helped save Annika's life.

That included paramedic Kayla Potts and basic Adam Cleary, Bill Jeter who took the 911 call, Jason Mullins who drove Annika to the hospital, and first responders David Cook and Jeremiah Campbell.

"I feel at every step God had a hand on it because at every step the best people were there," Wanda Johnson said.

The family now hopes their story serves as a warning to others. Teach your kids how to swim and learn CPR, they say. It could save a life.

They will also get an alarm that will automatically sound when someone goes into the pool without disabling it.

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POOL SAFETY GUIDELINES

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1-4, according to www.poolsafely.gov. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has the following advice for pool owners:

» Do not let children swim unsupervised or out of arm's reach of an adult.

» Have a designated adult whose only task at all times is to supervise any children in or near the water.

» Make sure children learn how to swim at a young age.

» Install barriers, fences, alarms and covers around pools or spas.

» Know how to perform CPR on children and adults.

» Teach children to stay away from drains and suction outlets.

» Ensure all pools have compliant drain covers.