“Deputy Nix was my baby’s guardian angel on Earth!”

The rush hour traffic was practically gridlocked, and the ambulance had still not arrived. But Nechole Crowell knew her baby boy, Kingston, didn’t have minutes to spare . . .

My baby isn't breathing! Nechole cried “A hero is a man who does what he can.” Romain Rolland

N echole Crowell’s heart nearly stopped when she answered her cellphone and her sister, Mary, blurted, “Something’s wrong with Kingston!” Mary was babysitting Nechole’s three-month-old son and his big sister, Azariah, and they were driving to the mall when the baby got a glazed look in his eyes and slumped in his car seat. “Tell me where you are!” Nechole cried. Then— after dialing 911—they both headed toward the hospital. Please, God, let him be okay! Nechole prayed, catching up to Mary and jumping into her car. But terror gripped her: Kingston was unresponsive. As a certified nursing assistant, Nechole was trained in Cpr—but not for infants. Desperate to keep him breathing, she rubbed her son’s tiny chest as his lips turned blue. Mary was doing her best to navigate the Ocala, Florida, rush hour traffic, but when the light at an intersection turned red, her car got boxed in. Where’s that ambulance? Mary panicked. Suddenly, she spotted a police car stopped in the other direction. Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremie Nix and his K9 partner, Drago, were on their way home following a 12-hour shift. With his four kids at church that evening, it was date night for him and his wife, Nicki. Just then, Deputy Nix spotted two women waving out their car window. And as he eased across the intersection, one cried, “My baby isn’t breathing!” “Pull over!” Deputy Nix instructed. “Please don’t let my baby die!” Nechole sobbed as Deputy Nix crouched, spreading Kingston across his legs. Checking the baby’s airway for obstructions, he then blew several puffs of air into the baby’s lungs. “Come on, little guy— breathe!” he coaxed. But nothing happened. “I need an ambulance— fast!” He shouted into his vest radio, then began compressions, using only a few fingers, again and again as Kingston’s eyes rolled back. Finally, after the third round of compressions, they heard a tiny gasp. He needs to get to the hospital now! Deputy Nix thought. “Follow me!” he told Nechole and Mary, flicking on lights and siren, then steering with one hand while clutching Kingston with the other. When they arrived at the hospital, medical staff immediately began administering oxygen and performing more compressions on Kingston. Outside the room, Nechole and Mary prayed. Then, by some miracle, they heard Kingston cry. And when Deputy Nix confirmed he was breathing again, Nechole collapsed into grateful tears. Although Kingston had suffered a rare reaction to a respiratory virus, he would recover. Meanwhile, though Deputy Nix had gone home, once he told Nicki what happened . . . “Forget date night. I know you want to go check on them,” she smiled. “Thank you,” Nechole wept, hugging them. “In my 17 years on the job, this was the most scary, emotional and rewarding day ever,” says Deputy Nix. “I thank God for putting me in the right place at the right time!” “Deputy Nix was my baby’s guardian angel on Earth,” Nechole beams. “I want the world to know how great he is. He’s one of the many, many good guys!”