Victoria O’Neal and her fiancé, Derrick Stroud, recently welcomed triplets, immediately tripling the love in their home!
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Unfortunately, not long after, danger struck. One afternoon, Victoria noticed that one of their babies, Amelia, was having trouble breathing. Worried, as any mother would be, she called Derrick and asked him to return home to take their little one to the hospital.
“At 1:00 when I went to feed them, she just sounded so weak and sick and it freaked me out,” Victoria told Good Morning America. “So I called [my fiancé] Derrick, told him to come home, asked him to take her to the hospital.”
Derrick came home and took 9-week-old Amelia to the hospital. Fear set in knowing that his daughter’s condition was worsening, so he raced to help at the hospital in Greenville, South Carolina versus the one in the town they live in.
Unfortunately, we all know what can happen when you speed. Derrick said he knew how fast he was going and that being pulled over was a likely result. But it was worth it to save his daughter who was battling RSV symptoms.
“I really had no words, but other than focusing on getting my baby to the hospital to get taken care of,” Derrick said. “Although we knew it was the season for this stuff, we really didn’t pick up on it. Other than a little cough, and that cough went from cough to a hoarse cry in the matter of three to six hours.”
At the end of the day, the traffic stop was a true blessing in disguise. State Trooper Matthew Brown of Lenoir County is the one who stopped Derrick. He was the best person to do so considering he is a former firefighter and EMT. Fun fact: he is also a twin.
After looking at baby Amelia, he said he knew he had to move quick to save her life.
“When I got back there, the baby was unresponsive sitting in the child’s seat,” Matthew said. “I turned her head towards me and I could see that her lips started to go blue and she was having a lot of trouble breathing. Once I got her out of the seat, she started to breathe a little bit better. Her blueness started to go away and I started to rub her back and stimulate her to keep her awake where she could focus on getting her breathing back to normal.”
Once Matthew got Amelia to respond, a medical unit was called and she was taken to a local hospital. She was later transferred to the Maynard Children’s Hospital in Greenville where she was treated for RSV. Her sisters were evaluated as well.
This was beyond a scary situation. It’s terrifying to think of the baby’s fate without the quick help of Matthew. Amelia’s parents are so grateful for his knowledge and approach to the emergency. Victoria says she would not have known what to do if it was her in this situation.
“He was an angel or a hero,” Victoria said. “I don’t want to imagine the level of panic I would have had if that had been me, if I had been the trooper and I had pulled someone over and there was a little baby turning blue in the backseat, like to have been able to keep a level head and do what he needed to do to help her, it’s just amazing and I’m so grateful to him.”
Derrick says he feels blessed that everyone was in the right place at the right time, ensuring that this terrifying ordeal got a happy ending.
“He noticed that she needed help right away and he got help as fast as he could and he knew what’s best for us,” Derrick said. “Literally, it’s like God sent him to be there.”
The timing truly couldn’t have been more perfect. Now, all three of these precious babies are happy and healthy, a wish all parents have for their kiddos.
Share Amelia’s recue story to thank Matthew for his life-saving actions.
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