FERRIDAY — Six months after he nearly drowned, 5-year-old Chase Charpentier’s mother said Thanksgiving has taken on a new meaning for her.

But then, after nearly losing her son, every day is special, Robin Charpentier said.

“I am thankful every day he is with me,” she said.

In late May, Chase managed to wander undetected into the deep end of the Moose Lodge pool in Natchez, and when he was pulled out of the water by a friend of the family, the lifeguards on duty found he did not have a pulse.

The lifeguard on duty performed CPR for approximately five minutes before paramedics arrived to take Chase to Natchez Community Hospital.

After being airlifted to University Medical Center in Jackson, doctors found fluid in one of Chase’s lungs, and he was placed on a ventilator to assist his breathing.

And though Chase was not breathing for several minutes, he did not suffer any brain damage during the ordeal, and made a rapid recovery.

“He is wonderful, and everything is back to normal,” Robin Charpentier said. “We swam all summer.”

Still 5, Chase started kindergarten at Huntington School in August, and likes to stay busy, she said.

“He is a handful sometimes the teacher says, but he is very smart,” she said.

“We are thankful we have him,” she said.