thedrifter
06-29-07, 06:21 AM
Marine comes to rescue in near-drowning
By: JOHN HALL - Staff Writer
TEMECULA ---- For Chris Hendrickson, it was like an angel came out of nowhere to save his son.
On Father's Day, he and his three children were at the community pool for his Temecula neighborhood. While playing with one of his two daughters, the 34-year-old Hendrickson was alerted to his 3-year-old son, Christopher, who had been pulled from the water, unconscious.
"He was limp and purple," Hendrickson said Thursday. "I grabbed him. I didn't know what to do. Then this guy came out of nowhere and asked if I knew CPR."
Hendrickson didn't, but the man who came to his son's aid did.
The suddenly appearing man turned out to be John Leiva, a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, who ran to help. Leiva spent a couple of minutes administering CPR on little Christopher ---- Hendrickson says it seemed more like 10 minutes.
"I saw Christopher's eyes open and he was spitting up," the boy's father said. "Then he started crying and I think I did, too."
Then, just as quickly as he had showed up to help, Leiva was gone.
"I wanted to thank the guy, but he just disappeared," Hendrickson said.
Leiva was unavailable to be interviewed about what happened as he has since been deployed to Iraq, officials said.
Christopher was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital and ultimately transported to Children's Hospital in San Diego. His father says the little guy seems to be just fine after the near-drowning.
"I don't know how it might have turned out," if Leiva hadn't shown up, Hendrickson said.
The day it all happened, Hendrickson didn't know who the rescuer was. He was later able to find out and stopped ---- with his kids, including Christopher ---- at Leiva's home near the community pool last weekend.
Initially, Hendrickson said, he was at a loss for what to say. What can you say to someone who just saved your child's life, Hendrickson thought.
"I told him, 'Dude, you're an angel,'" Hendrickson said.
"He said he was in his garage and heard all the commotion. He scaled the fence and came in," Hendrickson said. "He was happy to see Christopher and that he was OK."
Leiva was very humble about his actions, Hendrickson said. "He just thought he was doing his job."
But Hendrickson wanted to make sure this "angel" got some much-deserved recognition for what he did, so he contacted U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa's office.
On Tuesday, the congressman presented Leiva with a Certificate of Recognition. Issa's office said the Marine Corps is nominating Leiva for the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his actions.
"Sgt. Leiva did what I would expect most Marines would do. He saw there was a problem, he handled that problem, then went on his way," McKinney said Thursday. "He didn't expect any accolades."
McKinney said that if Hendrickson hadn't sought recognition for what Leiva did that day, it is likely that no one would have ever known about it.
"He's going to be in my prayers while he's over there, that's for sure," Hendrickson said of Leiva's deployment.
"I told him that the Lord put him in the right spot at the right time. I don't think it's at all coincidence that he was in his garage and was able to hear what was happening. He could have been in his house and not heard it," Hendrickson said.
Hendrickson didn't know what else to do to thank Leiva, though he considered at least taking him out to dinner. But working two jobs and living from paycheck to paycheck, Hendrickson said he just isn't able to afford that.
And the landlord at the house he rents in Temecula's Country Glen development has given him 45 days' notice to move out, he said.
"I'm gonna miss the neighborhood," he said, adding that since his son's near-drowning, "everybody in the neighborhood is talking about getting CPR cards."
While he's unsure where he may end up ---- his three children live with his ex-wife ---- Hendrickson is sure he'll never forget what Leiva did and hopes he now has a lifelong friendship with his hero.
"A lot of people wouldn't have done anything" in the face of the potential tragedy of a dying child, he said.
"But he was selfless," Hendrickson said of Leiva.
Contact staff writer John Hall at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2628, or jhall@californian.com.
Ellie
By: JOHN HALL - Staff Writer
TEMECULA ---- For Chris Hendrickson, it was like an angel came out of nowhere to save his son.
On Father's Day, he and his three children were at the community pool for his Temecula neighborhood. While playing with one of his two daughters, the 34-year-old Hendrickson was alerted to his 3-year-old son, Christopher, who had been pulled from the water, unconscious.
"He was limp and purple," Hendrickson said Thursday. "I grabbed him. I didn't know what to do. Then this guy came out of nowhere and asked if I knew CPR."
Hendrickson didn't, but the man who came to his son's aid did.
The suddenly appearing man turned out to be John Leiva, a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, who ran to help. Leiva spent a couple of minutes administering CPR on little Christopher ---- Hendrickson says it seemed more like 10 minutes.
"I saw Christopher's eyes open and he was spitting up," the boy's father said. "Then he started crying and I think I did, too."
Then, just as quickly as he had showed up to help, Leiva was gone.
"I wanted to thank the guy, but he just disappeared," Hendrickson said.
Leiva was unavailable to be interviewed about what happened as he has since been deployed to Iraq, officials said.
Christopher was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital and ultimately transported to Children's Hospital in San Diego. His father says the little guy seems to be just fine after the near-drowning.
"I don't know how it might have turned out," if Leiva hadn't shown up, Hendrickson said.
The day it all happened, Hendrickson didn't know who the rescuer was. He was later able to find out and stopped ---- with his kids, including Christopher ---- at Leiva's home near the community pool last weekend.
Initially, Hendrickson said, he was at a loss for what to say. What can you say to someone who just saved your child's life, Hendrickson thought.
"I told him, 'Dude, you're an angel,'" Hendrickson said.
"He said he was in his garage and heard all the commotion. He scaled the fence and came in," Hendrickson said. "He was happy to see Christopher and that he was OK."
Leiva was very humble about his actions, Hendrickson said. "He just thought he was doing his job."
But Hendrickson wanted to make sure this "angel" got some much-deserved recognition for what he did, so he contacted U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa's office.
On Tuesday, the congressman presented Leiva with a Certificate of Recognition. Issa's office said the Marine Corps is nominating Leiva for the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his actions.
"Sgt. Leiva did what I would expect most Marines would do. He saw there was a problem, he handled that problem, then went on his way," McKinney said Thursday. "He didn't expect any accolades."
McKinney said that if Hendrickson hadn't sought recognition for what Leiva did that day, it is likely that no one would have ever known about it.
"He's going to be in my prayers while he's over there, that's for sure," Hendrickson said of Leiva's deployment.
"I told him that the Lord put him in the right spot at the right time. I don't think it's at all coincidence that he was in his garage and was able to hear what was happening. He could have been in his house and not heard it," Hendrickson said.
Hendrickson didn't know what else to do to thank Leiva, though he considered at least taking him out to dinner. But working two jobs and living from paycheck to paycheck, Hendrickson said he just isn't able to afford that.
And the landlord at the house he rents in Temecula's Country Glen development has given him 45 days' notice to move out, he said.
"I'm gonna miss the neighborhood," he said, adding that since his son's near-drowning, "everybody in the neighborhood is talking about getting CPR cards."
While he's unsure where he may end up ---- his three children live with his ex-wife ---- Hendrickson is sure he'll never forget what Leiva did and hopes he now has a lifelong friendship with his hero.
"A lot of people wouldn't have done anything" in the face of the potential tragedy of a dying child, he said.
"But he was selfless," Hendrickson said of Leiva.
Contact staff writer John Hall at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2628, or jhall@californian.com.
Ellie