Oregon toddler survives after drowning in pond

BAKER CITY, Oregon – An Oregon family says it’s a “miracle” that their 22-month-old son is alive after drowning in a pond last week.

Matty Cunningham had been with his family members when he wandered away and ended up in a neighbor’s pond, KBOI 2News reports.

“We don’t know how he got there, maybe he was following a dog,” his father, Matthew, told KBOI 2News. “We lost track of him.”

After a frantic search, the little boy was found in the pond. He wasn’t breathing and family members immediately began CPR.

“He was dead,” Matthew said. “He was blue and dead.”

Elsa, Matty’s mom, adds, “When I’m doing compressions, my children were on their knees praying and begging God for a miracle.”

Emergency crews rushed to the pond and Matty was eventually flown to St. Alphonsus hospital in Boise where doctors prepared the family for the worst.

“They (doctors) did their best, but it wasn’t looking good,” Matthew said. “They painted the story of a dead child.”

The boy was eventually taken to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in Boise where doctors performed a series of tests.

“Within a matter of hours, he was acting like himself,” Matthew said. “He was acting like Matty. He was perfect.”

Earlier this week, the family returned home thankful their son survived.

“We just fell to our knees and thanked God,” Matthew said. “My son is dead and now he’s alive. It defies any logic. This is just a miracle.”