Long Island Mother’s Urgent Decision Saves Toddler’s Life
A mother’s quick decision during a life-threatening emergency saved her toddler’s life and unveiled a rare medical condition. In late July 2023, Maria Carlin, a 36-year-old nurse from Long Island, faced an unimaginable situation when her four-year-old son, Jack, suddenly stopped breathing.
Jack had spent the night crying without any apparent symptoms. During a tense ten-minute drive to North Shore University Hospital, he lost consciousness. The frantic mother confronted a heart-wrenching choice: pull over to perform CPR or continue racing to the emergency room. Understanding that immediate resuscitation would not suffice, Carlin chose to drive on, aware Jack would require urgent intubation and medical intervention.
“I heard him slump over. I went to look back, and God said, ‘Maria, don’t look back. You made your decision,’” she recounted, her voice trembling. “Knowing that you have a child in the back of your car who’s not breathing and needs CPR… I don’t wish that scenario on my worst enemy.”
Upon arriving at the hospital, Carlin blared her horn, alerting the medical staff. Dr. Jennifer Gibb, an emergency room physician, rushed to aid Jack, who was in cardiac arrest and lacked a pulse. “I just saw this lifeless kid who had no pulse, who looked blue,” she recalled.
Carlin’s pleas for her son resonated with Gibb, who noted the personal connection since she has an eleven-year-old son of her own. After ten critical minutes of resuscitation efforts, Jack’s pulse returned, bringing relief to his mother. “I can’t even explain what that feeling is like when you know that your child’s heart is beating again,” Carlin said.
Jack was subsequently transferred to Cohen Children’s Medical Center for further examination. Medical professionals discovered he had a laryngeal cleft, a rare condition affecting between 10,000 and 20,000 births annually, according to Northwell Health. This abnormal opening between the voice box and esophagus can cause airway obstruction due to mucus or fluids.
Dr. Lee Smith, the chief of pediatric otolaryngology at Cohen, stated, “I’ve never seen that before… This was an extremely unusual and severe presentation.” He performed corrective surgery on Jack, which was completed without complications.
Today, Jack is a healthy child enrolled in pre-kindergarten. His family, including his siblings Luke and Emma, is grateful to the healthcare workers who played a vital role in his recovery. “The survival rate of a child going into cardiac arrest outside of a hospital is terrifyingly low,” Carlin noted.
In celebration of Jack’s recovery, the family recently visited Disney World. “After everything happened, I turned to my husband and said, ‘We’re going to Disney World. This child is going to experience Disney World,’” Carlin shared.
Reflecting on the trip, Jack enthusiastically remarked, “I really liked the Slinky ride. And I love being in school.” The family’s gratitude extends to the frontline workers whose swift actions allowed them to create joyful memories together.
