P.E.I. family finds Good Samaritans who helped save baby's life 21 years ago

A day after a P.E.I. family went public with their hope to reconnect with the people who helped save their daughter’s life 21 years ago, the Good Samaritans have been found.

'She was as lovely as I remember her'

Shane Ross · CBC News · Posted: Sep 14, 2018 12:38 PM EDT | Last Updated: September 14, 2018

Emma Taylor was just 11 days old in 1997 when she became unresponsive in her car seat. The quick action of some Good Samaritans helped save her life. (Shawn Taylor/Facebook)

A day after a P.E.I. family went public with their hope to reconnect with the people who helped save their daughter's life 21 years ago, the Good Samaritans have been found.

Mary Taylor and her husband Shawn posted on Facebook that they were looking for the people who stopped at the side of the road near Springvale, P.E.I., in July, 1997, to help after their 11-day-old daughter Emma become unresponsive in her car seat.

Mary recounted the story on Mainstreet P.E.I. on Thursday, and CBC covered the story online. Two vehicles had pulled over, one a van with a couple who drove them to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and the other a car with a woman who administered first-aid to Emma until they got to the hospital.

P.E.I. family searching for people who saved their baby's life 21 years ago

Thursday evening, the sons of the Good Samaritans recognized the story and contacted the Taylors.

I'm blown away by how fast it happened.— Mary Taylor

"I'm blown away by how fast it happened because we literally wondered for 21 years who these people were and thought about them quite often and never imagined that we'd never ever really get to meet them and reconnect with them," Mary said in a followup interview with CBC on Friday.

Mary said the son of the woman who administered first-aid was also in the car when his mother pulled over 21 years ago, and he remembered the story. He now lives in Saskatchewan.

Wishes to remain anonymous

He put the Taylors in touch with his mother, who still lives on P.E.I. but wishes to remain anonymous. The Taylors, who now live in Nova Scotia, spoke to her by phone Thursday night.

"It was so wonderful to talk to her," Mary said. "We talked for about half an hour on the phone and shared our stories from that day and what we remembered ... I told her about Emma and who she was. She was very excited to hear that."

Emma Taylor, now 21 and a student at UPEI, is planning to meet the woman who helped save her life in 1997. (Shawn Taylor/Facebook)

At the time, Mary thought the woman was a nurse, but it turns out she is just well trained in first-aid.

"She was as lovely as I remember her. I always had this wonderful memory of her and how calm and assuring her voice was and how she just took control of the situation and it was so nice to talk to her."

Mary said the woman told her she thinks of Emma and that day in 1997 every time she drives by the spot on Highway 2, where a young mother was frantically trying to flag down cars.

'We are so grateful'

"I said how thankful that we were that she pulled over that day to help us and she said, 'it was what anyone would have done.' And I said, 'No, it's not what anyone would have done,'" Mary said.

"It was very special that she did that. Because there were other cars that passed by that day. Of course, they had no idea what was going on and I wouldn't expect them to have. But she stopped in the middle of her life to help us and we are so grateful."

Emma, now 21 and a student at UPEI, is making arrangements to meet the woman in person, Mary said. They are also planning to reach out to the couple in the van, whose son also contacted the Taylors Thursday night.