Gosnells mother saves neighbours baby from drowning

It was a typical Saturday for Krystal Karacsony, who was baking a birthday cake for her family, when she heard a scream for help.

“I poked my head out to see what was going on and heard my neighbour pleading for anyone who knew first aid. I yelled that I did, and she ran towards me, put her baby in my arms and told me she wasn’t breathing,” said Krystal.

Krystal’s neighbour had found her 11-month-old daughter unresponsive in the bath, she was blue and floppy, and Krystal immediately went into action.

“I was pregnant with my own daughter at the time, and I just knew I had to do something. I grabbed the child and quickly checked to see if she was breathing, checked her pulse and started doing CPR,” she said.

“I was hyper-focused just counting compressions and breaths. All I kept thinking was, what if this was my own daughter? Her life was in my hands.”

A few minutes later the baby began coughing up water and taking laboured breaths, so Krystal placed her in the recovery position and continued to monitor her. 

“By this point one of the family members had called for an ambulance and I was talking to the operator on loudspeaker, talking them through her condition. About 15 minutes later an ambulance arrived, but it felt more like an hour.”

Three years on from that day, Krystal has received a Gold Medallion at the 2022 Royal Life Saving WA Bravery Awards for her heroic actions. The child, who is now about to turn 4, went on to make a full recovery after being treated in hospital.

“Now I get to see her playing and laughing with her siblings. I’m not sure if she’s aware of what I did, but just getting to witness her live her life and knowing I played a part in it, is just indescribable.”

The mother-of-seven wants others to know that it’s ok to feel scared when confronted by an emergency.

“The whole time I was scared that I was going to do something wrong and that it wasn’t going to be enough, but I just kept pushing through.”

If you know someone who has responded to save someone’s life you can nominate them for a Royal Life Saving Bravery Award at the link below and ensure they receive the recognition they deserve!