Missouri 3-Year-Old 'Miracle' Toddler Recovers After Almost Drowning

Three-year-old Alise Nipper of Cape Girardeau, Mo., was just playing with her friends after school on July 29 when a storm began. Lighting struck the pool the children were playing in and her mother, Jamie, spotted her daughter from afar, lifeless and floating in the pool.

She and a friend then performed CPR on Alise for about 12 minutes before the little girl's heartbeat returned.

"She all of the sudden had color and pink lips," Jamie said, via KFVS. "Her heart started and she started breathing, it was strong loud breaths."

Soon after, an ambulance took Alise to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis.

Due to excessive medical expenses, there was originally a GoFundMe page set up for Alise. Yet just six days after her hospitalization, her condition began to dramatically improve and after two weeks, she was able to go home, according to Fox News. 

Though her brain and body were hurt, she seems to have fully recovered from the incident. 

"I'm thankful every night," Alise's father, Chris Nipper, said. "I'm extremely grateful we have more of a chance to have her on earth with us."

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique that's essential in several critical emergencies, including near drowning or heart attack, according to the Mayo Clinic. The American Heart Association recommends that everyone--even untrained bystanders--do something if they can to help someone who may need assistance. (This includes beginning CPR with chest compressions at 100 per minute, if you're untrained.)

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