It had been decades since Jorge Galbis had taken a CPR class. But when his 14-year-old son Tomas collapsed at their Coral Gables home last summer, Jorge began performing CPR and rescue breaths. Tomas, it turned out, suffered a heart attack. He survived – at least in part because of that long-ago CPR class his dad took.

On March 14, the Greater Miami and The Keys Chapter of the American Red Cross awarded Jorge and his wife, Daniela Castro-Galbis – who called 911 while her husband was performing CPR – Certificates of Extraordinary Personal Action. This award recognizes people who step up in an emergency to alleviate suffering and save or sustain a life.

"We are proud to honor Jorge and Daniela for their heroic actions. They are such a special and loving family and faced something no parent is ever ready for," said Deborah Koch, Executive Director for the Chapter. "However, with quick thinking, they saved their son's life."

Tomas had been studying at home on the morning of August 25, 2021, when he told his parents that he didn't feel well, and his left shoulder hurt. Jorge said he wrote off the complaint as a dislocated shoulder Tomas suffered two months earlier that might have been reinjured while playing basketball the day before.

"No, it's like no pain I've ever had in my life," Jorge remembered his son saying. And then Tomas collapsed. Jorge said he thought his son was experiencing a seizure. But Tomas stopped breathing, and Jorge could not find a pulse.

"I did my version, my best version, of CPR that I learned when I was in the 11^th grade in high school," Jorge recalled. Daniela called 911. An ambulance arrived quickly, paramedics took over, and Tomas was taken to Nicklaus Children's Hospital. He was in the hospital for more than a month before he recovered enough to go home.

"It was a scary moment for all of us," Jorge said months later. "We didn't know what we were dealing with or what was going on. It was a miracle. We are blessed."

During the award ceremony at their home, when the Red Cross awarded the parents' certificates, Daniela told her family members – including Tomas' two sisters, Lucia and Isabella Galbis – that they were heroes in this story too. She shared that her daughters had shown true grace and incredible strength under pressure while their world had turned upside down.

She told Tomas: “To say that we're proud of the way you handled this situation is an understatement. You have shown incredible discipline and determination, courage and strength. Every person who has watched this is in awe of you."

To her husband, she said: "We were faced with the worst nightmare any parent can have. You stayed calm and took action. You kept reassuring him that everything would be all right. I don't know how you did it, but you did, and you saved his life."

While presenting the award, Koch said, "We hope others will be inspired to learn the same lifesaving skills. Our community is stronger when we have more people who are trained and ready to act."

The Red Cross offers a variety of online, blended (online and in-person skills sessions) and classroom courses in First Aid and CPR. To learn more and get started, visit redcross.org/takeaclass.

If you know of a local hero in your community or group of individuals who used Red Cross skills or training to save or sustain a life, you can nominate them at LifesavingAwards.org.

Written by Marjie Lambert, American Red Cross Public Affairs