Girl Rescues Near-Drowning Victim

A 14-year-old aspiring pediatrician saved the life of a 4-year-old boy found floating face down Monday in an apartment complex pool, Los Angeles fire officials said.

Sofya Kagan said she was cleaning her apartment with her mother, Yelena Kagan, when they heard screams from the pool area of the apartment building in the 8500 block of International Avenue. The mother and daughter ran to the pool and saw several women trying to revive a small boy while several bystanders screamed in fright.

“The boy was purple,” Sofya said later. He had no pulse and had stopped breathing, she said. “I wasn’t scared or anything. I just remembered everything I had to do.”

The girl attended the medical magnet program at Madison Middle School and received her cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification last year. She will attend Reseda High School this fall.

“I felt like I had to do this. I was thinking I just need to save this kid’s life. He’s going to live to be a healthy kid and that’s all there is to it.”

Yelena Kagan, a practicing gynecologist before emigrating from Kiev, Russia, eight years ago, shoved bystanders aside and helped her daughter administer CPR.

“I didn’t think he was going to make it when I started,” Sofya said. “I just told myself that I couldn’t stop.”

Minutes went by and the boy was remained unconscious. Finally, the boy sputtered weakly and coughed up water.

Sofya said she continued CPR until paramedics arrived and took him to Columbia West Hills Hospital.

Firefighters credited the girl with saving the boy’s life.

Hours after the rescue, Sofya visited the family, who were not identified by authorities.

“They were just very thankful for everything,” she said. “The doctor said [the boy] is fine and that it’s a miracle. He’s just a perfect, very lucky boy. No problem. It was great to think that I’m just a child and I saved another child’s life.”