Mall Santa Gives Gift Of Life

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

December 4, 1998 / 9:57 AM EST / CBS

What is the most precious gift a Santa ever gave a child? CBS This Morning has the story of a Santa who gave the gift of life.

It was a picture-perfect moment when 4-month-old Quentin Orr met Santa Claus for the first time on Tuesday. But right afterwards, the baby stopped breathing. That's when Santa came to the rescue.

Quentin's mom, Sheridan explains: "We went to get our picture made with Santa. Quentin was great for the picture. Then I put him in his stroller to leave and I thought he had fallen asleep. I looked at him again. His lips were blue, his eyes were blue around the rims, and when I picked him up, he was listless."

Howard Russell, the Santa in this story, is a former CPR teacher for the Red Cross. When he saw Sheridan panicking, he rushed over.

Making the Most
Of the Holi-daze

"I heard her say 'my baby's not breathing,'" he recalls. After checking Quentin for a pulse and finding it weak and irregular, he says, "I put my cheek next to his nose and mouth, and there was no breath. So I gave him some quick breaths. He seemed to catch his breath. So I took him and laid him on the floor there at the mall. He stopped breathing again. So I opened his airway, checked his mouth, made sure there was no obstructions, gave him more quick breaths, and he caught his breath again."

Finally, the baby opened his eyes: "That just was wonderful," Russell says.

Sheridan took Quentin to the hospital, but the doctors were uncertain what happened. "They are considering it an isolated incident," she says. "They have done a CAT scan, EKGs, EEGs. Nothing would show anything that would cause that behavior. When they release him, they will put him on a monitor."

As for Russell, he looks forward to playing Santa every year. Since a disabling industrial accident, it is the only work he has done. He says he is glad he also has CPR training, and recommends every public school student be required to learn it.