Girl has seizure, turns blue at preschool; teachers jump into action to save her

MILWAUKEE -- A preschooler suffered a seizure at school during nap time. She was unresponsive, and her lips were blue -- but her teachers' teamwork and training saved her life.

At Mary Linsmeier School in Bay View, teachers are used to chaos. After all, they're tasked with caring for small children.

"Crazy stuff happens all the time," Charlie Christman said.

Charlie Christman

But what happened on Monday, January 11th took them by surprise.

"No -- nothing like this," Christman said.

While the little kids were down for a nap, the quiet was interrupted.

"We both could hear a gargling, gasping noise," Shilpa Hadimani said.

"We turned around and saw this child was convulsing," Christman said.

A two-year-old girl was having a seizure. Two teachers ran over to help.

Shilpa Hadimani

"I saw her lips were turning kind of blue," Hadimani said.

"There was only one thing in my mind: 'I know what to do, and this is what I have to do,'" Christman said.

The teachers started chest compressions while others also jumped into action. One teacher dialed 911. Another called the girl's mother. The center's director waited for an ambulance to arrive.

"We are a team, and we are a caring team," Katie Lemke, center director said.

Katie Lemke

This caring team saved a little girl's life.

"After what felt like forever, she started to cough and make sounds like she was breathing," Christman said.

The girl was taken away by ambulance.

The teachers say they're thankful for their CPR training.

"Every time we have a class, somebody says 'well, the chances you`re going to need this are like winning the lottery,'" Christman said. "We're so relieved and ecstatic."

The employees at Mary Linsmeier School get required CPR training every two years.