Chiedza Nyanjowa, 15, got into difficulty in the water at Formby Beach on bank holiday Monday and was rushed to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in a critical condition. She died on Saturday. Now one of the off-duty nurses from the scene has spoken out
One of the two off-duty nurses who battled to save the life of a 15 year old girl who got into difficulty in the water at Formby has spoken out about the devastating incident — and shared an emotional tribute following the teenager’s tragic death.
Chiedza Nyanjowa, from Cheshire, was rushed to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in a critical condition after the incident at Formby beach on bank holiday Monday, and passed away on Saturday. Her family described her as a “bubbly person” with a “kind spirit” who will be “greatly missed”.
The ECHO previously reported that two off-duty nurses, who had been in the sea on the day Chiedza got into difficulty, had rushed to desperately attempt to save her life.
The ECHO has since spoken to one of the nurses, Tara Oswick, about what unfolded that day, after coming across her heartfelt response on social media following the devastating news of Chiedza’s passing.
In her post, Ms Oswick, who serves as the Wirral General Practice lead nurse and works for Moreton and Meols Primary Care Network, wrote: “Goodnight princess, we have been dreading this news. We tried our best to save you. All our love to the family at this time, Rest in peace little one.” Recounting the events of that day, Ms Oswick told the ECHO: “On Monday, May 25, my friend Emma and I were visiting Formby Beach with our families. We had been swimming in the sea with our children for approximately 10 minutes when Emma spotted a child lying on the beach while a man attempted to resuscitate her. Recognising the seriousness of the situation, we immediately acted.”, reports the Liverpool Echo.
“After ensuring our children were safely removed from the water, we ran to assist. On arrival, we found the child unconscious and unresponsive. Following a rapid assessment, we believed the child had an obstructed airway and no pulse, so immediately commenced CPR.
“Despite the challenging circumstances, including the absence of any resuscitation equipment and delays in contacting emergency services due to poor mobile phone signal, we remained focused on providing lifesaving care. We worked together continuously, taking turns performing CPR and maintaining the child’s airway.”
Ms Oswick revealed the ordeal was made even harder by the incoming tide, forcing the women to repeatedly reposition Chiedza while keeping up their resuscitation efforts. They also had to manage the growing crowd of distressed onlookers who had gathered around them.
The off-duty nurses carried out continuous CPR for 25 minutes before a lifeguard and National Trust ranger arrived on the scene. They directed the ranger to locate a defibrillator, which was put to use straight away. Ms Oswick said: “Shortly afterwards, the air ambulance landed and the emergency medical team took over the resuscitation effort. Even then, we continued to assist by helping move the child and equipment as the tide advanced, supporting the emergency services, and maintaining a clear working area by managing the crowd.
“Throughout this incident, we demonstrated calmness, courage, initiative, and determination in an extremely stressful and emotionally challenging situation. We acted immediately without hesitation, sustained lifesaving interventions for an extended period under difficult conditions, and continued to support the emergency response until professional medical teams were fully established on scene.
“Our actions ensured that the child received immediate and continuous resuscitation from the earliest possible moment, giving her the best possible chance of survival until advanced medical care arrived.”
In a separate statement, the family of the 15 year old girl said they “would like to express their gratitude to everyone that helped” her and they were “glad that there were people around her to support her, their support shows that she was loved”.