Veralee Grace Wooten might grow up addicted to adrenaline — and with good reason and the blessings of God.
In the nearly four months of her short lived life, the Titus infant has scared her parents, grandparents and doctors, tested a seasoned lifeguard and even broken the speed limit with a Dale Earnhardt Jr. imitater at the steering wheel.
On April 16, Veralee was at home with her family, and everyone was keeping an eagle eye on the 3-month-old infant. After all she was born Jan. 4, 28 weeks into pregnancy, at Baptist South, weighing just 2 pounds, 2 ounces. Following nearly a three month stay in the NICU, the family had brought Veralee home on March 14 but Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) struck just a couple weeks later. Veralee was having breathing issues as doctors advised her mother Sabrina Kennedy to keep watch. Moments later, Veralee would change colors and stop breathing.
PHOTOS: Elmore County deputies recall saving infant
“She started turning purple,” Sabrina said. “The first thing I did was flip her upside down and started hitting her back. Then I couldn’t feel a pulse. I yelled out [to my mother Tonya Kennedy] to call 911 and started compressions.”
The scene was chaotic. Grandfather Edward Kennedy was crying about possibly losing his granddaughter. Sabrina was trying to revive her daughter.
Soon Elmore County Deputy Sheriff David Salum, AKA Lifeguard, and Elmore County Investigator Bill Wilson, AKA Dale Earndhardt Jr. were on the scene.
“They just jumped in there,” Tonya said. “They knew what to do.”
Veralee would soon recover11 days later ,providing everyone with excitement.
Veralee and family greeted the deputies to thank them for what they did. Now immortalized on plaques are nicknames to remember the day. Everyone retold the story as Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin listened in amazement.
Wilson recalled Veralee being blue on his arrival. Salum said he could see phlegm when he first arrived as he was handed Veralee.
“They were doing CPR but it wasn’t working because the airway was obstructed,” Salum said. “We turned the baby over to her stomach to do the Heimlich and were able to clear the airway. Once we got the airway clear, we could work on the breathing and circulation.”
Wilson was checking with the ambulance seeing how far out the medics were. But they were too far away — he knew he had to act.
Sabrina joined Veralee and Salum in the back of Wilson’s truck. Wilson would drive to the Elmore Community Hospital.
“I made a decision to get in the truck while [Salum] was working on her in the back and go to the hospital,” Wilson said. “That was the quickest thing that I could think of to get her the help she was going to need.”
The idea was to meet the ambulance en route and transfer Veralee over to medics. Salum was using skills learned as a teenage lifeguard.
“Once CPR starts, you don’t want to stop,” Salum said. “CPR was happening in the car with back compressions.”
Wilson grew up on his parents' racetrack. He didn’t look in the rearview mirror and doesn’t recall much of what happened in the back seat on the ride.
“I forgot [Sabrina] was in the back seat until we got to the hospital,” Wilson said. “There is no telling what I said or did during the ride. I remember telling [Salum] you just work on the baby, I’ll drive.”
Salum said, “He promised me he wasn’t going to wreck.”
Everyone caught a small break about 10 miles into the journey speeding down the racetrack of U.S. Highway 231.
“Once we hit the Collier Bridge she opened her eyes and started crying,” Salum said. “She probably wasn’t excited to see me, but we were excited to see her. It was a relief.”
Wilson pulled into the emergency department at Elmore Community Hospital where Dr. Lee England and staff were on duty. Two staff members had just clocked out and were in the parking lot to see Wilson arrive with precious cargo.
They joined in the effort to save Veralee. Salum and Wilson stayed and watched.
“I wanted to make sure she was OK,” Wilson said. “We stood in the back of the room and prayed for the best.”
It was a miracle the deputies got to Veralee in time and got her to the hospital according to her family. But medical staff kept Veralee going. The hospital staff was communicating with staff at UAB. A specially equipped helicopter with a neonatal incubator and specially trained staff from UAB was soon en route to Wetumpka.
According to Wilson, Veralee crashed twice in the emergency room.
“They would go to work,” Wilson said. “They would get her back stable.”
The helicopter staff would help draw blood from the tiny Veralee, now weighing in at five pounds.
Nearly three hours after calling 911 Veralee was flown to Birmingham. Eleven days after calling 911 the infant dressed in pink was visiting with her “newly adopted uncles.”
“The face we were waiting to see that day was her screaming, crying and we were relieved,” Salum said. “Now we get to see her smiling. God is great.”
Salum noticed something from Veralee’s blue eyes Thursday afternoon in Franklin’s office.
“You are looking up like you actually like me,” Salum said to Veralee. “You didn’t like me the other day.”
Wilson wasn’t so sure he would see Veralee again, just 11 days before.
“When I got out I thought she was gone,” Wilson said. “I have been here almost 16 years and have seen a lot. I didn’t give her much hope.”
Veralee’s grandfather agreed with Wilson’s assessment of Veralee when the deputies responded.
“God put you in the right place at the right time,” Edward said.
“And gave you a NASCAR driver,” Salum quipped.
As Salum continued to hold Veralee he noticed she looked to their left at Wilson.
“You see Dale Earnhardt over there,” Salum said.
Wilson had a quick response.
“Yea,” Wilson said. “If she is an adrenaline junkie you will know where it comes from.”
Wilson credited Salum with saving Veralee.
Salum said he didn’t necessarily start lifeguarding to be a lifesaver.
“When I was 16 and wanted to become a lifeguard, it was because I wanted to wear a bathing suit and get paid for it,” Salum said. “It wasn’t because I thought one day at 35 years old I would be saving someone’s life.”
Salum trained lifeguards in a way CPR to help become instinct.
“The way we train it, it’s a reaction,” Salum said. “You do this, you do this so in the heat of the moment when it happens, you don’t have to think, you react and take care of it.”
Tonya believes the miracles of Veralee are for a reason.
“I think she is meant to be something,” Tonya said. “She is going to be sharp. After all she has already been through in her little life, she might be a future sheriff’s deputy.”
Now Veralee has even more family.
“She has inherited two new uncles,” Tonya said. “They will always be invited — proms, graduations. Her wedding, we want you there. We appreciate you Uncle Salum and Uncle Wilson.”
Franklin said anyone in the Elmore County Sheriff’s office would have tried to save Veralee had they been the one responding that day. But not everyone gets to see this side of law enforcement. He said they only see the arrests and think of officers as evil.
“I get that, but my problem is if you hate the police why are you going to call the police?,” Franklin said. “There are a lot of people we have helped, they know we helped them out but they won’t say it.”
As Tonya gave the deputies plaques with photos of Veralee and their nicknames she welled up with tears.
“Because of you Veralee is here today,” the grandmother said. “You are our unsung hero. We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Without you our family would not be whole.”
