West Australian mother Sysy O’Neil thought her daughter was dead when she pulled her from the family pool, unconscious, not breathing and with foam around her mouth.
Two-year-old Giselle lay limp in her mother’s arms.
Giselle O’Neil was saved from drowning in the family pool by her sister, with her parents performing CPR until paramedics arrived. “I had this child that was lifeless,” O’Neil said.
“She wasn’t responsive at all. I obviously thought the worst had happened.”
Moments earlier, Giselle had been playing in the pool at their Hamersley home with her sister, searching for dive toys. Then everything went quiet.
Her seven-year-old sister Mia spotted Giselle face-down in the water and pulled her out, screaming for help.
“Mia called out to me and said, ‘mummy, Giselle is frozen’,” O’Neil said.
She immediately began CPR, following instructions from a triple-zero operator while waiting for paramedics. After several agonising minutes, Giselle began breathing again.
She was rushed to Perth Children’s Hospital, spending the night in intensive care before being discharged the following day with no lasting injuries.
“It could have been a very different Christmas,” O’Neil said.
Summer’s hidden danger While Giselle’s story ended in relief, experts warn many families aren’t as lucky.
Data obtained by 9News Perth ahead of the release of a report by Kidsafe WA reveals 4813 children were treated for injuries at Perth Children’s Hospital’s emergency department between December 2024 and January 2025.
It equates to almost one in four of all child injury presentations for the entire year, packed into just two summer months.
Kidsafe WA chief executive Scott Phillips said warmer weather brought heightened risks.
“About a quarter of all injuries for the year happen during summer,” he said.
The most common injuries were falls, accounting for 1721 cases, followed by blunt force injuries such as knocks and collisions, with 1092 cases.
The hospital also treated children for bike-related injuries with 118 cases, and bites and stings, totalling 181.
But drowning remains the most dangerous threat.
Of the 24 child drowning emergencies recorded across the year, 19 occurred during summer.
Experts say drowning often happens silently – in backyard pools and familiar places – and can take just seconds.
“Our supervision, we just need to be vigilant,” Phillips said.
“Make sure young children are watched constantly. They don’t always make good decisions around water.”
For O’Neil, CPR training made the difference.
“The one time I really needed it in my 38 years of life, it literally saved my child,” she said.
Her husband Ronald said no parent expected to use those skills – until they have to.
“No one wants to give CPR to their own child,” he said.
“But knowing how to do it – and staying calm – saved her life.”
The family credits older sister Mia for saving Giselle’s life, as she was the first to notice something was wrong.
“We were lucky – but the luck was driven by our heroic little daughter, Mia, pulling her sister from the water, and by my wife staying calm and knowing what to,” Ronald said.
Now at home, Giselle’s family hopes sharing their story prevents another tragedy.
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