By: Christopher Quinn, Communications Volunteer

Typhoon Mawar was over when American Red Cross Volunteer Kristie Brazell arrived on Guam to help with recovery efforts in June, but she wasn’t too late to save a life when another catastrophe nearly struck.

Brazell, from Camden County, Georgia, and fellow volunteer and friend Angela Patel from Daytona Beach, Florida, had spent the first week of their deployment working long, hot days to help residents of the island. When it came time for their day off, Brazell wanted to visit a spot to cool off that was recommended by a local man on the U.S. territory – Inarajan Natural Pool. The seaside pool is on the southeast coast of the island in the Pacific Ocean.

Families looking for their own break from the weeks of recovery efforts after the Category 4 storm on May 24 were there enjoying the water when the two arrived. The rocky pool is far enough away from the surf line to not be affected by waves, but is filled with calm salt water by the tides.

The adventurous Brazell had climbed a high-diving platform and jumped off once, and then returned for a second plunge as Patel watched from the waters of the pool.

There was a woman in front of her on the platform who halted, as if she couldn’t work up the courage to jump. “I said, ‘Are you going to jump?’” Brazell asked her. Then she saw the look on the woman’s face.

“There was this fear that swept over her,” as the woman looked toward the pool, Brazell said. She spotted two of her three sons struggling in the water.

The woman suddenly shouted to her oldest son on the shore, “Get your brother!”

The two younger boys in the pool -- a four-year-old in a floating device and beside him, his six-year-old brother, who was struggling to keep his head above water. The oldest son dashed from the shore, jumped in, and swam to the two, but the panicking six-year-old began pulling him down.

“The mother just froze,” said Patel, who began swimming toward the boys. Brazell also didn’t hesitate. Without thinking, she jumped off the platform and swam quickly to them.

“I was already in the water before I knew I had jumped,” she said.

“When I got to the 9-year-old, I could hear him sucking in water and he was gurgling, and he was saying ‘You are drowning me. You are drowning me!’” she said.

She grabbed the six-year-old who was still in trouble and got him to shore while Patel helped stabilize the younger one. Others pitched in to get all the brothers back to the bank of the pool.

“Everybody was kind of shaken up,” Patel said. But they were safe and back in the arms of their parents.

It took a while for everyone to relax, but the family, the other visitors, and the Red Cross volunteers eventually went back to picnicking and enjoying the day.

As Brazell was driving back to their temporary quarters, she suddenly pulled over on the road as the seriousness of the situation began sinking in.

“Do you realize what just happened?” she asked Patel, 51, a nurse.

Patel summed it up. “So much could have gone wrong in that situation.”

She added, “Kristie was definitely the hero that day.”

It was not the first time the duo have swung into action while on a volunteer mission. Serving during the New Mexico wildfires last year, the two came across a six-car pileup while driving and jumped out to render aid while waiting for the authorities.

“We are a good team,” Patel said.

Both were drawn to volunteer for the Red Cross by the organization’s reputation and the positive results it makes in people’s lives. Patel’s sister suffered a house fire and was helped by the Red Cross. Brazell was watching television coverage of a storm in Mexico in 2015 and saw the Red Cross in action. She had just graduated college and had no money to give, but responded to the plea for volunteers. Since then, she has worked locally and across the United States on disaster relief.

“I am humbled, every time, every disaster relief (operation), every fire call is something that reminds me to be not only appreciative of the things I have, but to understand and be more empathetic and sympathetic with people around me,” she said.

“I want to be helpful in my community and try to be helpful as well as out in the world.”

The women returned home from Guam in July.

Relief efforts from the storm continue on the hard-hit island. Trained Red Cross disaster workers from all over the United States have helped provide shelter, supported feeding with partners to provide more than 300,000 meals and snacks, assessed damage and distributed relief supplies to households throughout the affected communities.

If you have a passion for helping others and are looking for fulfilling, volunteer work with a humanitarian organization, you can make a difference with the American Red Cross.

Every day people are forced from their homes due to fires, storms, and other disasters. You can be part of a team that helps and responds to emergencies near you or in other states and U.S. territories every day. From offering a caring and compassionate ear to meeting the disaster-caused needs of individuals and households, such as lodging and clothing, and connecting them with long-term recovery services, the Red Cross strives to be the best neighbor any victim ever had.

Visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733 2767), or text the word REDCROSS  to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to, and help people recover from these disasters. This includes providing food, shelter, relief supplies, emotional support, recovery planning, and other assistance.

If you, or someone you know, is interested in contributing to the Red Cross mission and becoming a volunteer, or a part of the Disaster Action Team, visit redcross.org/volunteer.