Angelo Mondragon just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and the riveting twist of fate ultimately saved the life of a 3-year-old girl.
According to the Coloradoan, the 32-year-old plumber was spending the weekend with family at Windsor Lake on the afternoon of Sunday, July 26. However, the relaxing weekend quickly took an unexpected turn when he made a shocking discovery in the water.
During a recent interview with the publication, he recounted the odd touch he felt while walking through waist-deep water. “It felt like something you normally wouldn’t feel in the water,” Mondragon told the Coloradoan. “I did sort of a back kick to bring up whatever it was, and then I saw the bottom of a baby’s foot float up.”
Mondragon rushed the young girl, named Sitlali Fernandez, to the shore and called for help.
“I grabbed her and carried her limp body to the shore,” he told The Coloradoan. “The girl was already blue. She wasn’t breathing.”
Two off-duty nurses performed CPR and were able to resuscitate Sitlali, who was then transported to a children’s hospital. On Monday, Mondragon visited the young girl in the hospital. She was awake and talking and expected to make a full recovery.
“I’m coming to let her know that I love her, and she’s a part of my family now,” he said.
The media has hailed Mondragon as a hero. He offers a much humbler explanation of how he saved Sitali’s life. He claims that he was simply in the right place at the right time and did what anyone would do if they found a little child drowning in a lake.
But Mondragon said he is not a hero – just a father – and that Sitali will now forever have a place in his heart.
“I’m a father. And I saw a baby who needed help. It’s something you don’t wanna think about. You don’t want to imagine yourself in that situation,” Mondragon said.
Sitlali has since made a full recovery and she and her family had a heartfelt meeting with the hero that saved her life.
All it takes is one second of quick thinking and doing the right thing to change everything! I can’t begin to imagine the tragedy that would have ensued had Mondragon not been on the beach that day!
Watch the video below for more details:
Sources: AWM, Coloradoan
