He owes his life to those two policemen from the Verona Police Headquarters who were off duty yesterday morning and had decided to rest in the swimming pool. When they saw that child being rescued, Domenica and Antonio, these are the names of the two agents, immediately ran to help and, who just a few weeks earlier had completed the course of the Italian Association of Rescuers for the qualification to use the defibrillator and for first aid procedures, they intervened by making the child breathe again who, with his blue lips and downturned eyes, in a state of unconsciousness, seemed already dead.
The little boy is called Ayan Paolo and is six years old, and yesterday he was in a swimming pool in Verona, suddenly he ended up under water and started drinking. Other swimmers saw him and took him to the edge of the pool. There, after realizing that the little boy was in cardiac arrest, Domenica performed cardiac massage, while Antonio ran to look for a defibrillator. Having found it, he ran to help his colleague. The minutes immediately following were hectic: only at the twelfth compression, Ayan began to expel water and slowly resumed breathing.
When he finally opened his eyes, next to the frightened gaze of his parents, Domenica and Antonio were smiling at him, remaining next to him until the medical staff intervened and took him to the emergency room.
A few hours after the episode that brought them together, Domenica and Antonio went to visit Ayan in hospital where they surprised him with “the policeman’s toolbox. Today, little Ayan has already been discharged while the two policemen received applause from the President of the Chamber, the Honorable Lorenzo Fontana from Verona: «My compliments to Domenica and Antonio, the young policemen from Verona who, off duty, saved little Ayan, in cardiac arrest. Their intervention was timely and providential. Thanks for what you did! An affectionate hug to Ayan.”
