(GoFundMe)
On July 29, 3-year-old Alise Nipper was found floating in a swimming pool, unresponsive, after a party with friends. Today, the toddler is functioning normally and seems unaffected, physically and mentally by the accident, a recovery her family credits to their faith, KFVS reported.
Alise, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, was playing after school with her friends before the pool was cleared after lightning was spotted from afar. Her mother, Jamie Nipper, spotted her daughter’s foot under a raft. Noone knew how long she had been at the bottom of the pool. The girl was blue.
Jamie and a friend performed CPR on Alise for 12 minutes before her heartbeat returned.
"She all of the sudden had color and pink lips," Jamie told KFVS. "Her heart started and she started breathing, it was strong loud breaths."
An ambulance took Alise to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis.
"Her body and her brain were hurt," Dr. Jeremy Garrett told KFVS. "Her lungs took on severe injury which continued to be a problem."
Since no one knew how long Alise had been underwater, the lack of oxygen to her brain was potentially devastating.
"Our first response was to start praying and notifying people," Russell Grammer, director of the Prodigy Leadership Academy in Cape Girardeau, where the Nipper’s children attend school, told KFVS.
Grammer started a GoFundMe page for Alise’s ongoing medical expenses and a family friend set up the Facebook group, Boldly Pray for Alise.
Six days after her hospitalization, Alise began to improve and was awake, talking and even singing after her ventilator was removed. After two weeks, she was able to go home.
According to her doctors, Alise is functioning at the highest level a 3-year-old can.
"For her brain to come through this and be as functional as possible is astounding," Garrett told KFVS. "Prayer and luck and divine intervention were the key factors."
According to the GoFundMe page, Alise is undergoing rehabilitation services through the Hope Therapeutic Horsemanship Center in Perryville, Missouri.
Jamie Nipper is now encouraging others to become CPR certified. The Gordonville Fire Department, who were the first responders to the accident, hosted free training in August.
"I'm thankful every night," Alise’s father, Chris Nipper, told KFVS. "I'm extremely grateful we have more of a chance to have her on earth with us."
Stay up-to-date on the biggest health and wellness news with our weekly recap.