By EFE
A United States immigration officer met with the girl he helped bring into the world five years ago during an emergency delivery at the San Ysidro (California) vehicular port of entry, one of the most congested on the border with Mexico.
Amid the congestion, Officer J. Lott, an emergency medical technician, attended a difficult delivery because the baby named Alexa Garcia, now approaching six years of age, was on her back.
"
He was very blue
, not breathing and not responding," Lott said Thursday in a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statement about the time he was born.
"I quickly gave her chest compressions, and after about five or six, she started crying. I was already on my knees, and I collapsed. I remember saying to myself, 'Keep breathing, baby, keep breathing, please.'" said the CBP officer.
Lott recalls that when she went into labor, she stayed calm and prepared to bring the baby into the world.
"I knew that if I stayed calm, the mother, the father and everyone around me would be calm," he recalled.
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"Delivering a baby under normal conditions in a hospital is one thing, but staying calm while trying to deliver a baby in a vehicle at one of the country's busiest land borders is not a typical scenario." CBP noted.
After a long labor, Lott and the mother successfully delivered a girl.
However,
the danger had not passed
, because the newborn was turning blue and was not breathing.
Lott wiped the excess blood from the baby's face and began suctioning her nose and mouth, performing several chest compressions.
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"I'm glad I was there to help," said Lott, who can't forget the date of December 8, 2016.
"To be able to attend something like this is absolutely amazing," he added.
Officials from the CBP and the United States Consulate in Tijuana (Mexico) coordinated
the first meeting between the officer and the little
girl last Friday.
Lott and his wife were waiting at the San Ysidro port of entry to meet Alexa Garcia.
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"This is truly an exceptional demonstration of the humanitarian side of our work," said Anne Maricich, Acting Director of Field Operations for CBP in San Diego.
"The Garcia family reached out to us after several years of trying to locate the officer who helped deliver their baby and save her life. After realizing they had the wrong name, we were able to connect the family and the officer virtually, and arrange for their reunion with the help of CBP,” said Kim Scrivner of the United States Consulate in Tijuana.
The girl finally walked directly to Lott and
gave him a big hug.
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Lott's throat tightened as she handed him a baby picture in her arms on the day he was born.
