Mother forced to sit through entire Disney World ride with her son’s limp body after his heart stopped 20 seconds after it started
A Florida mother revealed the shocking moment she was forced to finish a rollercoaster next to her son’s limp body after he passed out during the ride.
Christine Tagle said the dramatic episode unfolded on September 21 at Disney World Orlando, after her family boarded their ‘favorite’ Guardians of the Galaxy ride.
Around 20 seconds into the ride, her son Ernesto, 5, passed out, and she said in a Facebook post that ‘through the whole ride I couldn’t wake him up.’
The panicked mother said she ‘screamed for help’ as soon as the rollercoaster ended, as staff members sprang into action and shocked him with an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Ernesto Tagle, 5, passed out last month during a rollercoaster ride with his family at Disney World Orlando, sparking a frantic effort to revive him at the resort
The youngster suffered a medical emergency while riding the Guardians of the Galaxy ride (pictured), as his mother said she was left to finish the ride next to her son’s limp body
Thankfully, Ernesto survived the terrifying ordeal, which his parents said was down to the quick thinking of his mother, staff members, an off-duty EMT couple and paramedics.
When Christine raced her son off the ride, she said staff joined her as she laid him down in a hallway and she began CPR, with staff also using an AED to restart the 5-year-old’s heart.
She said her husband, also named Ernesto, found a couple who were a nurse and EMT during the frantic episode, and they jumped in to help when her son began suffering seizures as they waited for paramedics.
First responders arrived at the scene and continued CPR efforts, until Ernesto was taken to hospital via helicopter, his father said in a post to Instagram.
Following ‘test after test’ to determine why Ernesto passed out on the ride, it was found that he suffers from a genetic heart condition – catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, or CTVT – that flared up during their family trip to Disney World.
The boy’s parents Christine and Ernesto said they quickly performed CPR on their son, as others joined their efforts including staff members, an off-duty EMT couple and paramedics
Ernesto was airlifted to hospital via helicopter and underwent emergency surgery after being subjected to ‘test after test’
In pictures shared to social media by the family, Ernesto was seen initially appearing to be in bad condition, with an array of tubes and medical equipment around him as he lay unconscious.
But thankfully, following emergency surgery at another hospital, Ernesto recovered well, and his father said he is ‘doing well with no signs of brain or heart damage.’
He added: ‘Even better this warrior is already home and already asking to ride his motorcycle.’
In subsequent images, the relieved father shared pictures of his son smiling from his hospital bed, and eventually as he left hospital with a variety of teddy bears.
Tests found Ernesto suffered from a genetic heart condition – catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, or CTVT
Ernesto’s parents shared images of the boy after he made a miraculous recovery, including this smiling picture as he left hospital, as they said he is ‘doing well with no signs of brain or heart damage’
After Ernesto’s quick recovery, his dad said he is ‘already asking to ride his motorcycle’
Both parents took to social media after the panic-inducing near-miss to share their relief and thanks to those who helped rescue their son, and both urged other parents to get CPR trained.
His mother Christine said: ‘My son lived because when his (now we know) genetic heart disease presented itself we were at Disney where there is an AED everywhere.
‘My son is alive because we were at Disney with trained staff. My son is alive because of this couple. My son is alive because I was a trained in CPR (parents PLEASE PLEASE get trained if you aren’t).’
Ernesto’s father added in his post that he was particularly thankful of the couple who stepped up to help, adding: ‘Not all heroes wear capes.’
