- January 22, 2025
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A Dec. 6 social media post by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office described how Sgt. Paul DeSousa helped save the life of a young boy while DeSousa and his family were visiting Dollywood in Tennessee recently.
The post said DeSousa was “out of uniform, out of state, and enjoying his time at the theme park … but a first responder is never truly off duty.”
News sites and TV stations as far away as Hawaii reported the FCSO post. The Florida Sheriff’s Association reposted with the introduction, “Heroes never take a day off.”
In an email to the Observer, DeSousa said he doesn’t feel like he deserves credit for what he did.
“Although I am very grateful and humbly appreciate all the recognition, I believe all the glory for this one goes to God for putting me in the right place at the right time and breathing life back into that little boy!” DeSousa said.
DeSousa and his family were vacationing in Tennessee over the Thanksgiving holiday. On the morning of their visit to Dollywood, just after they entered the park, DeSousa’s wife heard someone yelling for help in the distance. They looked around and saw a small crowd of people.
“I could see a park employee was yelling to the crowd asking for a doctor or nurse,” DeSousa said. “So we started walking toward the crowd. And as I got closer, I noticed that someone was holding a young child about 4 or 5 years old. The child was completely limp and very pale, and his lips and eyelids were completely purple, indicating that he was not breathing. I don't know how long that he wasn't breathing for, but as I went over, I told the employee I was a first responder and to give me the child to me, which they did.”
The boy’s parents told him they thought their child was choking on a cough drop or hard candy. DeSousa did not seen anything in the boy’s mouth but could see that he had bitten his tongue which indicated to DeSousa that the boy might have also been having a seizure. He laid the boy down and immediately started performing CPR. He instructed an employee to call 911 and get an ambulance immediately.
As DeSousa continued chest compressions, a park medical employee arrived with with a medical bag containing an AED and other medical equipment. A paramedic who was there with his family, also arrived and started to assess the boy’s condition.
I spoke with the parents for a few minutes afterwards saying that I was so thankful that he was breathing again and tried to assure them that he would be fine and he was in good hands.
— PAUL DESOUSA, FSCO sergeant
“As I continued with chest compressions and looked down at this little child's face, all I could do in my head was pray that God would just breathe life back into this little boy’s body, because we were trying so hard to resuscitate him,” DeSousa said. “After a few more compressions, the little boy took a huge gasp of air and started breathing again. His breathing was a very labored breathing, and it was obvious that he was having some kind of a medical emergency and was very lethargic, and his eyes were rolled back in his head.
“It wasn't too long after that a firetruck and ambulance showed up to the back gate and several paramedics came in with a gurney and took over. They were able to take the little boy and stabilize him for transport to the hospital. I spoke with the parents for a few minutes afterwards saying that I was so thankful that he was breathing again and tried to assure them that he would be fine and he was in good hands.”
That was the last that DeSousa saw the boy or his parents.
“I do not know the outcome of his visit to the hospital or any other information about him,” DeSousa said. “I just hope and pray that everything was OK and that he made a full recovery and is back doing what he loves!”
