Two toddlers who almost drowned in a backyard pool after mysteriously getting past a locked fence have miraculously recovered.
Osman, 2, and Destiny Achrafe, 23 months, were found unconscious in the pool at a home in Casula, southwest Sydney, on July 18.
Paramedics desperately performed CPR on the little boy and girl who were then rushed to hospital in critical conditions and put in induced comas.
Osman’s mother Xena Al-Achrafe said the hospital described the pair’s recovery as a miracle as they suffered no lasting brain damage.
Osman, 2, and Destiny Achrafe, 23 months, (pictured together) were found unconscious in the pool at a home in Casula, southwest Sydney
MRI scans of their brains came back ‘perfect’ and the only injuries they suffered were sprained necks from the CPR
She said the children came home on Friday, just in time to surprise their grandmother at the family’s weekend Eid celebrations.
‘We are overjoyed they are back and better than ever. The hospital called it a unique story with miracle children,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
Ms Achrafe said Osman and Destiny spent more than a week fighting for life and doctors didn’t know if they would live or be disabled.
‘My son’s heart had stopped and no oxygen to his brain for a very long time. Liverpool Hospital resuscitated him but nothing was certain,’ she said.
‘We didn’t know if they were going to wake up from induced coma or the extent of damage to their brain.
‘But they are fighters and didn’t want to leave us too soon.’
Osman’s mother Xena Al-Achrafe (pictured together) said the hospital described the pair’s recovery as a miracle as they suffered no lasting brain damage
Osman and Destiny spent more than a week fighting for life and doctors didn’t know if they would live or be disabled
Paramedics desperately performed CPR on the little boy and girl who were then rushed to hospital in critical conditions and put in induced comas – but they survived
Ms Achrafe said MRI scans of their brains came back ‘perfect’ and the only injuries they suffered were sprained necks from the CPR.
‘We are forever grateful for the support and help from the police and paramedics that attended the scene and the doctors and nurses that dedicated their time for our children,’ she said.
How the small children managed to get past a high fence with a locked gate and wander into the pool is still a mystery.
‘We can’t figure it out as the gate was locked and there’s only one access gate into the pool area,’ Ms Achrafe said.
‘There’s no way they could reach the latch or climb over, it’s too high. Even my eight-year-old can’t reach it.’
The children came home on Friday, just in time for the family’s weekend Eid celebrations
The moment the children surprised their grandmother at the celebration, as she didn’t know they had been released from medical care
The whole family celebrating Eid on the weekend, with Osman the child on the top left and Destiny top right
The family had the fence replaced for their peace of mind days after the near-drowning, even though there appeared to be nothing wrong with it.
The two families are very close and celebrated Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr in May, and Osman’s older sister’s fifth birthday last month.
Family photos show them celebrating the holiday with extended family and being doted on by parents and aunts and uncles.
Destiny was given a blanket with her name on it when she was born in August 2018 and Osman wore a hat with his name as a newborn.
They were found floating on the surface of the pool (pictured) at a home in Casula
Osman with his father Ahmad. The close family has Lebanese heritage and Osman’s grandfather emigrated from there to Australia
‘On this very day god blessed me with a prince,’ Ms Achrafe wrote last year to celebrate Osman’s first birthday.
NSW Ambulance Inspector Gavin Wood stressed how important the CPR that police performed was.
‘The (children) were both in cardiac arrest and unresponsive. It was an incredibly traumatic and chaotic scene,’ Inspector Wood said.
‘The response time of police was eight minutes after the initial call and they managed to perform effective CPR – without that we may have had a very different outcome.’
Osman wore a hat with his name as a newborn. ‘On this very day god blessed me with a prince,’ Ms Achrafe wrote last year to celebrate his first birthday
Destiny was given a blanket with her name on it when she was born in August 2018