posted February 08, 2008 11:46 AM
This news article is from CNN.com'Miracle' baby tossed 300 feet by twister found alive
CASTALIAN SPRINGS, Tennessee (CNN) -- Armed with nothing but a flashlight and finding no signs of life, firefighter David Harmon made one final search of tornado wreckage and made the discovery of a lifetime.
Kyson Stowell was thrown a hundred yards but had only minor injuries.
"I shined the flashlight across it and said 'I've got a baby doll.' And before I got 'I've got a baby doll' out of my mouth, it moved," Harmon said.
In pitch darkness, in the middle of a field, Harmon found a baby boy covered with mud and debris.
"As soon as we rolled the baby over, it took a gasp of air and started crying," he said.
Eleven-month-old Kyson Stowell was thrown a hundred yards when a tornado shattered his home. He was found shivering but with only minor injuries. His mother, Kerri, was killed. His grandfather, Douglas Stowell, described Kyson and his mother as "best friends."
"She was a good mother to him," he said. "I just hate to see her gone. ... He loved his momma, and she loved him."
Douglas Stowell estimated that it was at least two hours after the storm before the baby was found. "He's just a miracle," the grandfather told reporters.
The entire area where Kyson was found had been searched once, and rescuers found nothing. After sorting through all the debris, they found a baby stroller and decided to look again.
Harmon said he was overwhelmed by the experience and felt connected to Kyson.
"He'll always have a special place in my heart," he said. "I hope I continue to stay in contact with the grandparents, and I would like to get to know the kid as he gets older."
Kerri Stowell was one of 56 people killed across the South earlier this week in the deadliest tornado outbreak in the United States in more than 20 years. The storms ripped apart houses and trapped residents of university dorms and a retirement home in debris.