10/09/2026
On September 12th, 2026 the lives of multiple people were forever changed within just a second.
A family with their 3 young children were at a friend’s home in the 3000 block of Lake Knoll Court celebrating a birthday. In total there were 12 adults and 13 kids (all 11 years of age or younger) together at the home for the party.
✅ The house had a pool.
✅ The house had a gate around the pool.
✅ There were adults supervising the children.
✅ The children had taken swimming lessons.
✅ All the safety precautions were in place.
Until…. They weren’t.
Two-year-old Callen was at his mother’s (Kelsey) feet eating a cupcake. She felt the pressure of his little body against her legs. She knew where he was.
The pool fence was primarily closed but was held open to allow some kids to leave the water and others to get into it. Everyone thought everyone was paying attention. But in thinking that, no one was truly paying attention.
Callen’s sister, Emsley screamed that her little brother was at the bottom of the pool. Kelsey, who had just felt the weight of her son at her feet, turned in horror to see Callen’s green swimming trunks at the bottom of the pool. Before immediately diving into the water to rescue her son, she screamed for Callen’s Dad (David).
Friends quickly called 911. One friend, Dana, stayed on the line with the Fort Worth Fire Alarm Office dispatcher.
Kelsey emerged from the water and handed her son over to David. Kelsey had never seen anyone that shade of blue before as she watched her husband lay Callen on the ground.
At one point in his career, David wanted to be in the EMS/medical field and learned CPR. It has been years since his training, but the training kicked in and he immediately began CPR on his son. While he performed chest compressions, Kelsey blew every breath she had into her son providing mouth to mouth. Dana, still on the line with FAO dispatchers, relayed the CPR instructions to David that she was being given.
Eight minutes.
For 8 minutes, without stopping, David and Kelsey together performed CPR on their little boy and prayed to God to please save his life. Fire Department crews arrived on scene as Callen attempted to take his first breath.
EMS crews took over medical care from the parents and once Callen was loaded onto the stretcher, he began to whimper and gasp for air. Then, once inside the ambulance as crews continued to treat him, Callen began to cry.
The Fort Worth Police Department provided a police es**rt for the ambulance to arrive at Cook Children’s Hospital as quickly and as safely as it possibly could.
And upon arrival to the hospital, Callen was screaming.
But the screams were exactly what the doctors, nurses and his family wanted to hear. Those screams were most likely the best sound they had ever heard. Those sounds meant life.
Doctor’s say that it is truly a miracle that little Callen walked out of the hospital—all by himself—just 2 weeks later. He is showing no signs of permanent damage or injury from the drowning.
Just this week, Callen spoke to his sister Emsley without any prompting or reason. Their conversation went:
Callen: I died.
Emsley: Did you see Jesus?
Callen: Yeah, but He’s in Heaven. He was praying for me. I’ll see Him next time.
Callen survived because he had a mother that took no time in jumping into the water to save her son. He survived because his Dad performed CPR from muscle memory from years ago. He survived because he had a mother that gave all the air in her lungs to her baby boy through mouth to mouth. And they didn’t stop until first responders made it to the scene. Callen survived and today’s reunion with the first responders and Callen’s family was an unexpected act of closure for Kelsey.
She didn’t realize just how much she needed to be reunited with the first responders who were there when her child was being brought back to life. And the first responders? They needed the reunion just as much because that call is forever imprinted on their hearts and minds.
Callen is doing well. You can see for yourself in these photos of today’s reunion. A reunion of a grateful family and relieved first responders… even though all the boxes for safety were checked. All it took was one second of inattention and Callen was gone.
Taking immediate action. Knowing CPR and performing it non-stop. Calling 911. And answered prayers. These are the things that brought Callen back.
▪It wasn’t the safety fence.
▪It wasn’t the swimming lessons.
▪It wasn’t the solid ratio of adults to children.
▪Those failed everyone in that moment. “It happened just like they said that it does.” (Kelsey)
Drowning does not discriminate. It does not happen only to those who are entirely unprepared. It can- and does- happen to anyone. There is no way for someone to be too careful with children around bodies of water (not just swimming pools). Bath tubs, backyard lakes, slow moving streams or a rain filled buckets/basins all pose a risk for drowning. Please see the attached document we have provided on Water Safety for Parents and Caregivers. Because all it takes is one silent second.
We’re so glad that you are here with us Callen. Your story may just help another little kid, “see Jesus next time.”
Stay safe, .
Fort Worth Police Department
FWPD P.A.C.C. (Police and Clergy Coalition)
Fort Worth Office of the Medical Director
