When Beckham Morgan, 2, noticed a foam noodle floating in an Olympic-sized pool when the Morgans were at a social gathering, The pool was closed because of lightning. Beckham, on the other hand, has always been fearless and drawn to water. So, in the dark, this boy, whose swimming lessons had been halted when he was 5 months old due to the COVID-19 pandemic, went after that noodle.
He took a few steps down and reached for it. His small hands instead pushed it away. Beckham went after the noodle once more, but this time in water that was too deep for him to manage.
Beckham was discovered floating face down by a teenager. She dove in, yanked him out, and laid him on his back along the pool's edge. His body was desolate. His face had turned purple. She and two adolescent boys began yelling.
Tyler could hear the disturbance off to his right from around 30 feet away. He moved his gaze to it. Only a pair of little legs wearing black swimming trunks with a thin green-yellow stripe down the side and black shoes could be seen.
Tyler dashed over, recognizing the trunks and sandals.
Tyler motioned for someone to call 911, then pressed his hand into the center of his son's chest hard and fast. Tyler paused after a series of compressions to be sure Beckham was breathing. He wasn't. Between compressions, Tyler began providing rescue breaths.
When providing CPR to children whose hearts have stopped, rescue breaths are especially important because the primary reason is frequently respiratory. Tyler held his breath and compressions for another 20 seconds. Beckham then coughed.
Beckham remained unresponsive despite the fact that he was breathing again. Tyler rubbed the boy's sternum with a single knuckle. Beckham started weeping and breathing heavily after that jolt.
By the time an ambulance came, Beckham was wrapped tightly in the arms of his mother, Jessica Morgan.
The most astonishing aspect of how and why Tyler understood what to do to save Beckham's life is how and why he did.
Tyler is the vice president of engineering for a company that collaborated with the American Heart Association to create the Knowledge Booster app, which provides CPR and other vital skills training reinforcement.
Tyler knew straight away when he came to the hospital that Beckham was still Beckham, the precocious boy he'd always been.
Beckham spent that night in the hospital merely for observation. His pediatrician declared him healthy the following day.
The Morgans revisited the pool a few days later. The major reason was to express gratitude to the girl who rescued Beckham from the water, providing her with a pleasant memory to replace the image of him comatose and purple. Tyler and Jessica were also curious about Beckham's reaction to returning to the facility.
Tyler's dual roles are the emotional heart of this drama.
He's a father who came close to losing his child. And he's a 37-year-old man who saved the life of a 2-year-old boy.
Perhaps he should be the one with the red cape and superhero mask.
"All I want to know is that he's okay," Tyler explained. "That is the prize. My son is still alive, and the rest of our lives are not damaged."
"This multiverse thread is the one where I get to keep living with my son."