June 22, 2025, was a normal summer Sunday for the Smith family. Brandon Smith was barbecuing, Tiffany Smith was back-to-school shopping on her phone, and the kids, 8-year-old Dylan and 13-year-old Olivia, were playing in the pool.

“The kids were competing with who could go back and forth the longest while holding their breath in the pool,” Tiffany said. “Dylan, being fearless and resilient, had to outdo his sister.”

The day quickly turned into a nightmare when Tiffany realized the pool had fallen silent.

“He tried to hold his breath a little too long, and that’s what caused him to pass out. I was the one who found him in the pool,” she said. “And I found him because it was too quiet. It’s never quiet in my house. It wasn’t one of those scenes out of a movie where somebody is splashing around, asking for help.”

Just minutes earlier, Brandon had gone inside to change. When he heard his wife scream, he ran outside to see Tiffany holding an unconscious Dylan.

“Before I did anything, I just said a prayer. I laid him flat and started CPR. Tiffany called 911,” he said.

Both Brandon and Tiffany are CPR-certified and knew exactly what to do. Meanwhile, Olivia ran to nearby houses for help.

Luckily, one of the neighbors remembered that a few doors down lived someone who works in the medical field.

“The adrenaline kicked in,” said Lissette Medina, a physician assistant for Shriners Children’s Orthopedic Center at UHealth Jackson Children’s Care. “It was the most scared I’ve ever been in the 16 years of my career.”

Medina rushed over, identified herself, and took over CPR, continuing chest compressions for more than seven minutes until paramedics arrived.

“The clinical part of my brain was what kept acting,” she said. “But my biggest fear was knowing Dylan’s life was literally in my hands. Something came over me and just told me to act.”

Paramedics arrived and inserted a breathing tube before taking Dylan to Jackson South Medical Center, where doctors stabilized him. He was then transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Holtz Children’s Hospital.

When Dylan arrived at Holtz Children’s, he was in critical condition. He had suffered a cardiac arrest caused by drowning, and the medical team’s biggest fear was that his brain wasn’t receiving enough oxygen.

Doctors warned the family that even if they could save his body, his brain function might not recover.

“I unfortunately had to tell the parents that I wasn’t really sure if they would be leaving the hospital with Dylan,” said Kathryn Swaby, MD, pediatric intensivist at Holtz Children’s and Assistant Professor of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine.

As part of his treatment, Dylan was enrolled in a research study evaluating whether therapeutic hypothermia, a technique that cools the body, could help protect the brain after cardiac arrest.

“That’s not something available everywhere,” Dr. Swaby said. “Dylan’s family allowed us to try it to see if it might make a difference, and there’s a possibility that it may be one of the things that influenced his outcome.”

Dylan was also placed on a ventilator to help him breathe, and was given medication to support his heart and blood pressure.

“Dylan is remarkably lucky and a very resilient child,” said Asumthia Jeyapalan, DO, an attending physician in the Holtz Children’s PICU and Associate Professor, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine.

“While he was able to recover from his submersion injury, he was noted to have some neurologic deficits that did require rehabilitation.”

He spent three weeks in the PICU, gradually being weaned off life-sustaining treatments. Afterward, he continued his recovery at Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial, where he spent six days a week doing speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.

Before every exercise, the 8-year-old would quietly say, “I’ve got this,” showcasing the fiery spirit his parents know well.

“He catches snakes and lizards, climbs trees without looking, and fishes like a pro,” Brandon said. “He’s our firecracker.”

Despite the severity of Dylan’s condition, his recovery defied the odds. He made remarkable progress, showing clear improvements in his breathing, heart function, responsiveness, and memory.

After more than two months in the hospital, he was discharged on August 29.

Through the challenges, one beautiful thing emerged: an unbreakable bond between the Smith family and Medina.

“As traumatic as this was for all of us, I will forever be grateful to them; for the way they accepted me into their family and trusted me with their child,” Medina said. “That’s the greatest gift anyone could receive, as a practitioner, parent, and person.”

The Smiths say their gratitude extends far beyond just one moment or person. It’s shared with every member at Jackson who helped them through their most difficult moments.

“‘Thank you’ doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Brandon said. “They held us up when we couldn’t hold ourselves. They were our lifeline.”

“They were our heartbeats through it all,” Tiffany added. “They gave us a second chance.”