A relaxing afternoon at the hotel pool could have turned tragic if it had not been for the quick actions of New Hampton resident Kandy Quass.
    While attending the U.S. Tumbling and Trampoline Association Nationals in Ohio, Quass used her CPR skills to help save the life of a boy who was found at the bottom of a hotel swimming pool.
    Quass, who is a lab technician at Mercy Medical Center-New Hampton, was staying at the Howard Johnson's hotel in Pleasant Ridge, Cincinnati,  during the national competition held in June. After a day watching her three children compete, Quass and her children Dakota, Justice and Dezirae decided to relax by the hotel pool.
    She said there were several children at the pool for a birthday party. Quass noticed a girl laying a small boy beside the pool.
    “I sat up a little bit and heard them say he wasn’t breathing,” she said.
    Quass, who is CPR certified, said she jumped up and went to the limp body. “Surprisingly, I didn’t stop to think about it. It still floors me how quickly things move, but it seemed so slow at the time," she said.
    Quass started administering CPR on the 10-year-old. It had been 10 years since Quass took a CPR course; however, she is required to maintain her certification for her job at Mercy.
    "With CPR, the first thing you check is their mouth. From there, it just went right into the reality of things. I was kind of surprised because I had never actually done it on a person before," said Quass.
    Joseph McCluer had been underwater for more than two minutes when his cousin pulled him to the surface. Quass started compressions and the boy started breathing again.
    “When the paramedics got there, he was breathing but he wasn’t alert. The paramedics gave him oxygen and he became very vocal,” she said.
    The boy was transported to the hospital and did not suffer any permanent damage from the accident. Quass spoke to the boy and his mother a few days later.
    “He had a hard time talking because he kept tearing up. His mother was very thankful,” she said.
    When news agencies in Cincinnati found out about the incident, Quass was considered a hero. Quass said she was just happy to be there at the right time and glad that she knew what to do. 
    "After this, I'm more thankful – especially having three kids of my own – that I know that if something like that were to happen to them, I could help them," said Quass.