by Pooja Klebig

In the early hours of September 9, Phillip Vasquez was getting ready for work at 4:30 a.m. when his routine suddenly shifted. Without warning, he collapsed. The sound of his fall jolted his wife, Debbie, awake. She rushed toward the sound in the bathroom and found her husband on the floor – unresponsive, not breathing and without a pulse.

It’s the moment no one ever expects. But it’s the moment Debbie had unknowingly prepared for over three decades.

Drawing on years of CPR training that she has received through work, Debbie immediately jumped into action. She called 9-1-1 and assessed the scene with the focus of someone who knew that every second mattered. She ran to request her 11-year-old son, Andrew, to wake his older brother, Justin who was 18 at the time. Together, they formed an impromptu rescue team – Debbie and Justin administrating CPR while Andrew remained on the line with dispatch.

“At one point, I wasn’t sure if this was working since we had been doing this for a while,” Debbie remembered. “I had all these thoughts running through my head with how quickly my life could change. But I said to my son, ‘We are not going to stop. We aren’t stopping until they get here,’ in a desperate attempt to give all of us some hope.”

For 15 continuous minutes, Debbie and Justin kept Phillip’s blood circulating through CPR. When paramedics arrived, they immediately deployed an AED and delivered a shock. Phillip’s heart restarted. Minutes later, he was on his way to the hospital, alive.

Debbie had always kept her CPR certification current, renewing it faithfully every two years for 30 years. She never imagined she would use it on her own husband. But because she and her sons were trained and ready, Phillip is alive and well today.

Phillip had suffered a cardiac arrest. After a series of tests, doctors implanted a Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator, a device placed under the skin that can shock fast heart rhythms back to normal.

“My family took care of me, which is what you hope someone at home can do for you,” Phillip said. “The situation could have been much different, but I was fortunate.”

“Even after a few days, I was still processing it all,” Andrew said. “The moment he came home though, I felt relief that he is still here.”

Debbie’s willingness to jump into action embodies the very spirit of the American Red Cross mission: to prevent and alleviate human suffering in times of crisis.

For more than a century, the Red Cross Lifesaving Awards have honored individuals whose skills and quick action make the difference between life and death. Established in 1911, this tradition began with the goal of recognizing everyday heroes, like Debbie, who step forward when someone needs them most.

Debbie received the Certificate of Merit Lifesaving Award, one of the highest honors the American Red Cross can bestow. This award is given to individuals who save or sustain a life using skills learned through Red Cross training. The certificate bears the signatures of the Honorary Chairman of the American Red Cross, the President of the United States and Red Cross Chairwoman, Gail McGovern.

“I hope this award demonstrates to other people that this is important,” Debbie said. “Anyone can get certified, and it’s a big deal to save someone’s life. It really works if you know what to do!”

Life, fitness and wellness are core values in the Vasquez family. Phillip is also CPR/AED/First Aid certified. As he put it, “You can go 30 years and never know when your time is going to come. It just takes that one time and that’s all that matters – that you were there and able to do what was needed. That’s what you were trained for.”

The Vasquez’s story is a powerful reminder that preparedness matters. Training matters. And when someone’s life is on the line, the decision to step in can change everything.

Thank you, Debbie, for your strength, your quick thinking and your willingness to act. You inspire all of us to get trained, stay trained and be ready to help when it counts!