A Flower Mound family is sharing a life-saving story after their 14-month-old son survived a drowning incident — thanks to quick CPR, a chance encounter and what they believe was divine intervention.
Marshall and Christa Miles never expected to face a moment where seconds would determine their child’s survival. But on that day, preparation and timing made all the difference.
Christa was inside with the couple’s daughter while Marshall was outside with their two boys. Their youngest, Jackson, was in a walker playing with a toy fire truck.
Despite a fenced pool with a secured latch, Jackson somehow got through and fell into the water.
By the time his parents reached him, he was not breathing and had no pulse.
Christa, who had previously completed CPR training, relied on instinct. She rushed Jackson to the front yard and began trying to save him.
“Those moments felt chaotic and impossibly fast at the same time,” Christa said.
At the same time, Dr. Lowell Phipps and his fiancée, Ashley, were driving nearby — on a route they don’t normally take.
In what Phipps described as a strange sense of compulsion, Ashley urged him to turn onto a different street.
“I’ve lived in Flower Mound since 1999 and I’ve never once been on that street,” Phipps said. “We’re pretty routine on our Sundays, but that day we did a bunch of things we normally don’t do, so we were on a different street and decided to go that way.”
That decision led them to a cul-de-sac, where they saw the Miles family rushing Jackson out from the backyard.
Phipps pulled over and immediately began chest compressions while Christa performed rescue breaths. Paramedics soon arrived and took over care.
Jackson was placed under medical sedation for 72 hours to protect his brain.
“Those hours felt longer than any we had ever lived,” Christa said.
Finally, the test results came back.
No brain damage.
No lasting effects.
“It’s a miracle,” Phipps said. “The entire situation, the entire day, it was a miracle that it worked out that way.”
According to Phipps, brain damage can occur after five minutes without oxygen, and survival becomes increasingly unlikely after 10 minutes.
“Jackson was gone from the time they brought him out to the street,” he said. “But [CPR] gave us enough time to keep the oxygen coming into his blood and keep the blood moving through his body.”
Medical staff emphasized that CPR played a critical role in saving Jackson’s life — something they rarely see in similar cases.
Since then, the Miles family has committed to sharing their story, advocating for CPR training and giving glory to God.
“CPR training is simple and absolutely worth the time. We took a class before bringing Jackson home from the NICU because he was born prematurely,” Christa said. “At the time, it felt like one more box to check. In the emergency, that familiarity helped us act instead of freezing.”
Phipps, a physician, said while his training guided his response, everyone should know basic lifesaving skills.
“Anybody should know that and I know Christa has a good heart for wanting to really push that,” he said. “It’s so important to be able to do anything to help preserve oxygenation in the blood flow because with a drowning, you only have five minutes.”
Both Phipps and the Miles family believe there was more at play that day.
“We will always see God’s hand in those details — the unexpected turn, the preparation that put CPR knowledge in our path before we ever needed it,” Christa said. “When we cried out for help, help arrived.”
“Ashley felt that compulsion and told me we needed to turn,” Phipps added. “And the fact that they ran out front and didn’t stay in the backyard waiting for the ambulance to come … all these different things just pointed me to what was going on.”
Local officials say training is widely available. Brandon Barth of the Flower Mound Fire Department said the department offers hands-only CPR and Stop the Bleed classes, and is working to expand certification training through the American Heart Association.
Body Bionics in Lantana hosts monthly CPR and first aid classes; visit bodybionics.com for schedules, pricing and registration.
Christa noted that local YMCA locations also frequently host CPR courses.
The Miles family emphasized that water safety must be layered and intentional — even with precautions in place.
“Accidents happen faster than anyone expects,” Christa said. “Gates, locks, supervision and redundancy all matter.”
Amy Clayton, owner of Amy’s Aquatics in Flower Mound, said early swim instruction is another key prevention tool. She begins lessons for children as young as 6 months old and teaches techniques that help children survive a fall into water.
“There are techniques that teach a child to roll over [if they fall in] so they can get air while they reach for a wall,” Clayton said. “That’s something I’m very interested in implementing into my lessons.”
With pools, lakes and beaches common in family activities, experts say the risk of water-related accidents remains high.
“There is a dire need for kids to know how to save themselves when they fall in,” Clayton said.
For the Miles family, Jackson’s survival is a reminder of preparation, community and divine intervention.
“We are profoundly grateful to Dr. Phipps and Ashley, to the paramedics and medical teams who cared for Jackson and to the neighbors, family, friends and church community who surrounded us with prayer and support,” Christa said. “We know people may interpret stories like this differently. For us, it deepened our faith.
“In the most terrifying moment of our lives, we saw God work through skilled hands, precise timing and people willing to step in when we needed them most,” she said. “And every time we hear Jackson laugh, we are reminded how much grace we have been given.”
