November 3, 2004
Lipe performs under pressure
Cody Lipe administers CPR on four-month-old niece after she stops breathing
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Wakened in the early morning by his mom, hearing his sister's cries for help, Cody Lipe had the presence of mind to save his niece's life.
The junior at Traverse City West High School administered CPR to four-month-old Tayah Marie Peckham, reviving her and keeping her breathing until an ambulance arrived. Finding Tayah blue from lack of oxygen and his sister extremely upset, he used two fingers on Tayah's tiny chest to stimulate her heart.
"I was a little scared but then I said, 'I gotta get through this,'" said Cody Lipe, who is also a student in the new Public Safety Program at the Career Tech Center.
"She started crying and I just kept her going for ten minutes until the ambulance got here," he continued. "They took her to Munson and she stayed for three days."
Already a miracle baby, Tayah was born four months premature on June 10, weighing just 1 pound, four ounces. She has spent most of her life at a neo-natal intensive care unit in Grand Rapids, coming home with her parents, Lindsay Lipe and James Peckham, in late September to Lipe's Traverse City residence.
Tayah's underdeveloped lungs and cardiovascular system require supplemental oxygen and she also wears a heart monitor. Early in the morning of Sunday, September 26, after her first day home, the monitor went off.
"She was in her playpen and I heard her cry once and then she turned blue," recalled Lindsey Lipe. "The alarm was going off about three times and my mom came down and told me to call the ambulance. Then I screamed for my brother."
Smart move, since Cody had completed Red Cross CPR training in physical education class last year at West. He also showed a cool head under pressure that will serve him well in his planned future career in law enforcement.
"Actually, when I took the class I never thought I would use it," said Lipe of the CPR.
Now the size of a newborn at just over eight pounds, Tayah has a fringe of blond hair and is more aware of and responsive to her surroundings. She squeaks and wriggles in that distinctive newborn way, fussing slightly over her nasal oxygen tube and the tape holding it in place. Her mother noted that Tayah may not need supplemental oxygen much longer and she may be weaned off it over the next week or so.
One way or another, family members said they will have quite a story to tell Tayah when she is old enough to understand.