Security colleague Molly does chest compressions to save baby's life

Parents Elisha McGeehin and Michael Harrison paid an emotional visit to our Middlesbrough store with their 13-month-old son Blake to thank security colleague Molly Haggath for saving his life when he stopped breathing.

Twenty-seven-year-old Molly did chest compressions on Blake when he turned blue and went limp on a visit to the store with Elisha, 24, Michael, 35, and Blake's three-year-old brother Benjamin.

Elisha, who lives in Redcar, said: "We'd gone to the store to get some new school uniform for Benjamin and we were just leaving the store. As we were chatting to Molly, Blake was getting a bit unsettled. He had a cold and cough, but nothing major.

"I thought I'd give him a cuddle to try to soothe him, but he wasn't settling for me so I passed him to his dad. That's when the colour drained from him and he started to go blue and he wasn't breathing. It was as if time stood still. I just froze. It's so scary how health can change so quickly.

"Molly took Blake and put him down on the floor and tilted his head back to open his airways and did chest compressions. He came round and started to breathe again, but it took a while before he started crying. When he had more colour in him, Molly passed him back to me and that's when the ambulance came. Benjamin was in his pushchair and turned away so he couldn't see anything."

Elisha said: "It felt like it went on for a lifetime but it was only minutes.

"I can't thank Molly enough for what she did. Nothing in this world will express how grateful I am. I'm grateful too for everyone else who helped us as well.

“Everyone was just so responsive and helpful. I was absolutely past myself and hysterical and there was a lovely lady who was a member of the public who made sure I was okay as did a lady from the pharmacy who came over and got me a chair."

First aider Molly, who's worked at the store for three years, said: "I'm friends with Elisha and Michael and was speaking to them as they left the store when all of a sudden Blake went blue and stopped breathing. He was alright one second and next second he just went limp.

"I just stepped in and lay Blake on the floor and started giving him chest compressions, while my colleague Mason Shaw called 999. Michael was kneeled down next to me.

"It's all a bit of blur really, I can't even remember doing the chest compressions but I did. I just went into automatic mode and got on with it. Blake started breathing but he wasn't awake so I tapped him on the chest to wake him up, and gave him a little shake. He opened his eyes, then the ambulance came a minute later. It was such a relief when he started to breathe again.

"It wasn't that long – about three minutes – but to me it felt like hours. The paramedics took him into the ambulance straight away and then onto hospital."

Molly had done a refresher first aid course just a few days earlier.

She said: "You expect to deal with lumps and bumps when you're a first aider but nothing like this."

Blake spent a few days in James Cook Hospital and was treated for a number of viral infections before he was allowed home. Once he had recovered Michael and Elisha brought him into the store to see Molly.

Molly said: "I cried when I saw him, as seeing him was so overwhelming. I'm just so relieved that he's okay."

Donna Lane, Asda Middlesbrough's community champion, said: "When Molly came to work she didn't know she would be putting her first aid training skills to use like this. She didn't hesitate to step in when little Blake stopped breathing. We are so proud of her. It was so lovely that Blake and his family came back into store to thank Molly."

The family has strong connections to the store – as well as knowing Molly, Michael's mum Angela works on checkouts.