Baby reunites with Livermore-Pleasanton firefighters who saved her life

LIVERMORE, Calif. - A special meeting on Tuesday reunited a 5-month-old from Livermore with the firefighters and first responders who saved her life earlier this year.

Stephanie Smith, Chloe’s mother, recalled the incident. Chloe was unresponsive at four weeks old.

"Chloe was in her baby carrier, I thought she was sleeping," Smith said. "She had aspirated on her vomit. It wasn't until I was at the stove, that I saw she was gray, blue, and not breathing at all."

Smith and her husband, Didier Smith, started CPR and called 911. Firefighter paramedic Brent Heinrich was one of the first responders back in July.

"We knew exactly what to do and we were able to go straight to work," Heinrich said. "The fact that they were able to do bystander CPR is a big reason that this is a positive outcome."

Heinrich administered life-saving care and restored Chloe’s pulse before the ambulance arrived. She was taken to Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley then transferred to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford where she was diagnosed with a brain injury. She returned for airway surgery a month later.

"The NICU staff there was second to none… they were amazing," Smith said.

Chloe is at risk for cerebral palsy. The family started early intervention, like hyperbaric oxygen therapy in New Orleans, to reverse brain damage. Smith said Chloe has re-gained her suck, swallow, gag reflex and her vision is improving. The family hopes to wean her off her overnight feeding tube next. They started a GoFundMe page to help pay for medical expenses.

"While she doesn't have a diagnosis, we expect her to have challenges with movement and that's what we're tackling head on," she said. "She's a miracle to still be here, but she continues to bring blessings in our everyday lives in ways we never expected."

Smith said she thinks about Chloe’s heroes often, so she reached out to facilitate the reunion. It provided closure for the first responders that they often do not get after helping patients.

"They saved a life, they saved a family," Smith said. "She's made so many improvements and I said, ‘We have to go meet her heroes. It's time.’"

The Smith family went to Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Station 9 to meet with Captain Cushman, Engineer Bardsley, Firefighter Paramedic Heinrich, and Firefighter Bolt. It was hugs all around for Chloe, the Smith family, and the men who saved her life.

"Being able to see Chloe for the first time, it was really heartwarming and emotional," Heinrich said. "To be able to have this go full circle and see Chloe again happy and healthy, and the family happy and healthy… it really is why we do this job."