AVOYELLES PARISH, La. (KLFY) — Independence Day was filled with family joy for Carencro resident Krista Parker, but it unexpectedly became a pivotal moment when her 6-year-old son narrowly escaped drowning.

Parker recounted that her family spent the day visiting relatives and enjoying the amenities at the Paragon Casino Resort. The atmosphere was festive and lighthearted, right up until they were preparing to leave.

“I noticed DJ by the pool with his feet dangling in, which didn’t alarm me at the time since DJ is usually apprehensive about water and wouldn’t just jump in,” Parker explained.

In a split second her son looked lifeless.

“We just started screaming, God name first and we kind of panicked but something told me to wait let’s do CPR. Let’s try to revive him and while I’m reviving him. I’m just praying. God please call your angels. Covered them with my son Lord in the name of Jesus. Lord, cover my baby with your blood in the name of Jesus, Lord, please give me my baby back,” Parker cried recalling the day.

Parker said while she is praying and performing CPR her husband who is her son’s stepfather teamed up with her and gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to DJ.

“While I’m pumping his body water is just flowing out my baby’s mouth and his eyes are still bloodshot red, not blinking. He’s gone. I’m pumping some more and he gave him another breath and somebody said pumped his stomach and he just threw up water, and threw up and started crying and the ambulance came rushing in telling everybody to move. They dragged me away from him. They put them in the stretcher. His oxygen was at 95 [which is a good level],” said Parker.

DJ was taken to Rapides Women’s and Children’s Hospital. His mother said he started to tell the nurse that he went to heaven and God is real.

“He looked at me and my husband. He said, No, Daddy, no momma. God is real. I saw him. I saw him and uncle Quimaine.” Parker shared

For Parker and her husband who believed in God but didn’t have a stable church home at the moment hearing what DJ witnessed deepened their faith.

“His story is just so real. Only he can explain it,” said Parker.

DJ was excited to share his experience and said God said he had ‘one more life.’ “God is real,” said DJ. He also described hearing angels singing and seeing a lot of clouds. To mark a second change in life DJ wants his name changed to be Avir which means air in Hebrew.

“Why do you want to name yourself after the air? And he was with God in the air,” explained his mother.

Parker added this closing message. “I feel like everybody, if you have kids need to be CPR certified. Anything can happen in a second. My son didn’t have a life vest on and I regret that to this day. So just safety first and when it comes to God, God is real. My son told me I have proof because he’s here and I believe that and when he told me how God looks, he told me, God was mixed with every color white, black, even Mexican and he’s just mixed with all colors and it just made me feel like we need to come together. All this dividing, all this hate. We need to love one another and be a unit and God is real. Get closer to God, you seek him, You shall receive.”

The family said beside giving DJ one shot in his arm. He didn’t have to take any medicine, he did not have any brain damage, heart damage, or bruising for the lungs. Just a little bit of water on the lungs.