A two-year-old named Callen slipped underwater at a birthday party in the 3000 block of Lake Knoll Court on September 12, and within seconds, a houseful of family and friends went from celebrating to fighting to save his life. Twelve adults and 13 children, all age 11 or younger, were gathered at the Fort Worth home when the fence, which was primarily closed, was held open. Callen went into the water unnoticed.
According to an account posted by the Fort Worth Fire Department
, a child named Emsley spotted Callen at the bottom of the pool and alerted the adults. Kelsey dove in to pull him out, then handed him to David, who began CPR as Kelsey administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Friends called 911, while Dana stayed on the line and relayed real-time CPR instructions to David as the group worked to revive the toddler.
David and Kelsey kept up continuous CPR for eight minutes. Fort Worth Fire Department crews arrived just as Callen attempted his first breath, and EMS personnel took over his care. In the ambulance, he began whimpering, gasping for air, and then crying, according to the department's account. Fort Worth police provided an escort as the ambulance rushed him to Cook Children's Hospital, where he was screaming upon arrival.
Why Those Eight Minutes Mattered
Medical guidance helps explain why the actions taken in that backyard were so consequential. Resuscitation guidelines updated in 2024 by the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics stress that CPR for drowning victims must combine rescue breaths with chest compressions, since drowning-related cardiac arrest is driven by oxygen deprivation rather than a primary heart problem. That distinction is why the mouth-to-mouth breaths Kelsey gave alongside David's chest compressions were considered medically essential, not supplementary.
Drowning can cause oxygen deprivation, and the condition can progress rapidly, making Callen walking out of Cook Children's Hospital two weeks later, on September 26, with no signs of permanent injury, especially notable.
A Reunion and a Moment of Closure
In October, Callen and his family reunited with the first responders who helped save him, an encounter that the Fort Worth Fire Department said brought closure for Kelsey. The department also recounted Callen telling Emsley, “I died,” prompting her to ask if he had seen Jesus. He answered, “Yeah, but he's in heaven. He was praying for me. I'll see him next time.” Kelsey, reflecting on the ordeal, said simply, “It happened just like they said that it does.”
A Risk That Persists Even With Supervision
The adults at the party were supervising the children, and the kids had taken swimming lessons, according to the Fort Worth Fire Department's account. Yet research from Cook Children's Health Care System found that 88% of child drownings happen while at least one adult is nearby, a statistic that underscores how quickly a toddler can slip under the surface during a crowded social gathering. The same research notes that formal swim lessons can reduce drowning risk among young children by more than 80%, but healthcare professionals emphasize that lessons are one layer of protection, not a substitute for constant supervision.
Toddlers remain the age group facing the greatest danger. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States for children between ages 1 and 4, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A Pool Barrier Left Open
At the Lake Knoll Court home, the fence was held open during the party.
The Fort Worth Fire Department used the case to renew its water safety warnings. The department said drowning can happen to anyone and that children around any body of water, including bathtubs, backyard lakes, slow-moving streams, and even rain-filled buckets or basins, require constant, uninterrupted attention. Officials pointed caregivers to a water safety resource document and repeated their core advice: call 911 immediately and begin CPR without waiting.
