KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A Kissimmee toddler is alive and well after nearly drowning.

  • Toddler reunites with first responders who saved his life
  • Austin nearly drowned in a lake behind his home 
  • Austin will be taking infant self-rescue classes

There was a heartfelt reunion Tuesday to celebrate the rescue between 2-year-old Austin Young and the first responders who saved his life.

On February 5, little Austin managed to open the fence in his backyard and fell into the lake. It was the family’s dog Charlie that alerted them of the exact spot he fell in.

Austin was lifeless and without a pulse. A neighbor called 911 and dispatchers guided dad through CPR instructions.

Paramedics transported him to Osceola Regional Medical Center, where he remained in the Intensive Care Unit. He was eventually flown to Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital, and he was eventually released on February 16.

“There are no words. There’s not enough gratitude to express to the paramedics, firemen, and police officers,” his mother Sophia Young said. “I was able to meet all of them and thank all of them personally. And that means so much, because they saved my son.”

Austin will be taking infant self-rescue classes soon through the Live Like Jake Foundation.