Toddler Survived 18 Minutes Under Water

(CBS)  This story was filed by CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar in London.

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Three-year-old Oluchi Nwaubani very nearly didn't make it.

Last September, the little girl fell into a freezing swimming pool in London. Tests showed she was deprived of oxygen for 18 minutes - three times longer than the brain can normally survive.

"They didn't hold out much hope for her," Toya, the girl's mother, tells CBS News.

Oluchi couldn't breathe on her own. Brain scans showed little activity.

"Doctor said to me, basically they've not seen a child been in the water this long and pull through," recalls her father, Junior.

Even if she did survive, doctors warned the prognosis was not good.

"If she does, she will be in a vegetative state," they warned her father. "Nevertheless, you need to know that we are Christians and we believe in a God who can do the impossible."

And, it would seem, that's just about what they got.

"It was really almost a miracle that this child has a normal recovery," Dr. Vinay Nadkarni, of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, tells CBS News.

But there is an explanation.

Some young children, particularly babies, have a special reflex that they had when they were in utero called the diving reflex. It essentially slows the body's metabolism down to almost nothing, so they almost need no oxygen for the brain cells to survive," explains Nadkarni.

It's like hibernation, and in cold water, brain cells are protected even more.

It's a combination of genetics, reflex, and great care that have made Oluchis' story such a happy one.

"We expect her to make a full recovery, because each day there has been one improvement or the other," says her father.

"She shouldn't be here, but she is," says Toya. "There's still room for recovery. She's still on a road to recovery. I've said it's not a miracle instantly, it's a miracle over time."

[jimmy987]

nothappyatall-

would you like to support yourself by testing that out for us? i mean surely you believe in this so there will be a 100% chance of you being revived after staying underwater for more than 15 minutes.

[nothappyatall]

The clip is called

Experiments in the Revival of Organisms (1940)

This disturbing film records the successful experiments in the resuscitation of life to dead animals (dogs), as conducted by Dr. S.S. Bryukhonenko at the Institute of Experimental Physiology and Therapy, Voronezh, U.S.S.R. Director: D.I. Yashin. Camera: E.V. Kashina. Narrator: Professor Walter B. Cannon. Introduced by Professor J.B.S. Haldane.

http://www.archive.org/details/Experime1940

[nothappyatall]

Was the kid harmed in any way? No. She survived and is living and the doctors just want to find a reason for it instead of besus being the reason. Thank you zesus!! Our *** can do anything.

Posted by ladybug19782

You dont know for a fact she wasnt harmed, there can easily be brain damage not obvious because the thing doesnt TALK yet or try to work out a math problem.
Yeah your god the murderer can do anything, including killing 50 people with some ice on plane wings.

At least MY god doesnt slaughter people or demand innocent animals be slaughetred for sin atonement! your god is SICK, so are you for worshipping this beast.

[nothappyatall]

To the one who posted where was your jesus? Have you ever stopped to think that maybe jesus allowed this to happen for a reason? To witness a miracle?"

Aint no miracle, people who train can and do hold their breath for several minutes with no problem, they claim 18 minutes but it COULD have been half that- there was no stopwatch set the moment it happened, in such a circumstance one minute can seem like an hour. I''d bet it wasn''t even 10 minutes.
The cold is a documented FACT that it slows down the need for oxygen and preserves the brain.
When you drown your lungs do not fill up with water, thus there is a certain amount of air in them, losing consciousness stops muscular activity AND the need for oxygen for that.
Years ago the Russians experimented with dogs in a lab, draining their blood out and stopping their hearts for many minutes at a time- 10 to 30 or more, and then pumped the blood back in, restarted the heart and the dogs recovered normally, I have the video showing the experiment on blood circulation and the use of an artificial mechanical heart, they showed the heart monitor going flat and the clock ticking the minutes by with the dog''s heart rate flat and no blood, then they reversed the pump and pumped the blood back in the artery and restarted the heart.

No big deal, no miracle either.

[ladybug19782]

To the one who posted where was your Jesus? Have you ever stopped to think that maybe Jesus allowed this to happen for a reason? To witness a miracle? Maybe for people like you. Was the kid harmed in any way? No. She survived and is living and the doctors just want to find a reason for it instead of Jesus being the reason. Thank you Jesus!! Our God can do anything.

[tiffanyhicks]

How awsome is our God!! My son Cole Hicks nearly drowned in March 07, with documented 17 minutes down time, but really unknown just how long he was underwater!! He was even pronounced brain dead for 5 hours and miracuously came back to life and improves everyday. He is way beyond doctor expectations! They told us if he even was even able to hold his airway open that he would be a vegtable for the rest of his life! He is also a miracle in the making!

[peace_fresa]

that.is.fqn.
AMAZING.
its awesome the way
god makes our body
:)

[peace_fresa]

that.is.fqn.
AMAZING.
its awesome the way
god makes our body
:)

[ka_ree4]

newster1- you wouldn''t know a miracle if God reached down and blessed you with a fully functioning BRAIN...
I know I would be shouting God''s praises from the rooftops if this situation happened with one of my children!
I hope the baby girl recovers fully and has a wonderful life!!!!!!!!! It will be the greatest testimony to GOD''s GREATNESS!!!!!!

[antonio_28]

Thank You, our Precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.