LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas mother says having an emergency room specifically equipped to treat children made a life-changing difference when her 10-year-old daughter went into cardiac arrest.
Today, Erin Harris is back in school, playing outside and living the life of a typical 10-year-old. But her mother, Biana Pettway, said the road to get there included countless days in hospital rooms searching for answers.
In August 2025, Pettway said Erin began complaining of what initially seemed like a stomachache.
WATCH: 10-year-old saved by pediatric-focused emergency room
“I just thought it was a stomachache,” Pettway said. “We stayed at home. I gave her Pedialyte, water, just was monitoring her.”
But Pettway said her daughter’s condition began to change.
“She didn't look so good,” she said. “Her face looked real sunken.”
Pettway decided to take Erin to Sunrise Children’s Hospital. When they arrived, she said Erin collapsed in the parking lot.
Erin was going into cardiac arrest.
Pettway credits the quick action of Dr. Jacob Snow, medical director of the pediatric emergency room at Sunrise Children’s Hospital, with helping save her daughter’s life.
“He did CPR for 25 minutes,” Pettway said. “He told me he wasn't giving up.”
Snow said Erin was diagnosed with an intestinal condition and received care from the hospital’s medical team as she recovered.
According to Snow, treating children in an emergency setting requires specialized resources and expertise because children can have different medical needs than adults.
“Children have a unique set of factors that makes their medical care sometimes a little more complex,” Snow said.
Sunrise Children’s Hospital recently received a Pediatric Ready Recognition from the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health Emergency Medical Services.
The recognition focuses on a hospital’s ability to provide emergency care for children with appropriate staffing, resources and equipment.
“You want to have that child at a place that has the personnel or staff, that has the training, that has the equipment, that is all designed and produced around taking care of a child anywhere from infancy all the way through adult size,” Snow said.
For Pettway, being able to access that type of specialized care became critical on one of the most frightening days of her life.
Now, she said Erin has made a remarkable recovery.
“A lot of people thought that after that she probably wasn't going to eat or she would need far much more attention than she does,” Pettway said. “But she goes outside and plays. She goes back to school. If you're around her, you won't even know.”
For Pettway, seeing her daughter return to the everyday life of a 10-year-old is a second chance she does not take for granted.
