It was a humid afternoon in Tallahassee, Florida, in June 2017, and the pool at The Lakes of San Marcos apartment complex was bustling with activity. Colbi Heard, a handsome 9-year-old boy, was adjusting his goggles when he noticed something floating nearby. Curious, he swam closer and realized it was a little boy. “I wanted to play with him,” Colbi says.
The boy was Omari Howard, an adorable three-year-old who had come to the pool with his mother, Keyonna, and his uncle Travis. At first, Colbi circled Omari, checking him out. But when the boy didn’t move, “I knew he was hurt and needed help,” says Colbi.
Omari had been in the shallow end playing with others when he began struggling to get to the edge of the pool and sank underwater. Nobody noticed for three minutes. Nobody except Colbi.
According to Colbi’s mom, Severia, Colbi is on the autism spectrum and struggles with sensory processing disorder, which makes him particularly sensitive to his surroundings. Just moments earlier, he had asked his mother when they could go home because he was overwhelmed by all the noise. She believes it was that same hypersensitivity that caused him to notice Omari that day.
“He’s very cautious,” Severia says. “He’s a lover, and he’s passionate about little kids. If it wasn’t for that love, I don’t think that little boy would be here today.”
Colbi scooped Omari into his arms and handed his limp body to his uncle, who rushed him to Keyonna. Omari’s face was blue, and he wasn’t breathing. “My baby, my baby!” Keyonna cried. In the chaos that ensued, nobody knew what had happened or what was wrong.
That’s when Severia heard a friend cry her name. She’d had her back to the pool, packing up their things to go home, when she turned and saw the distressed boy. Severia, a nurse in Tallahassee, ran over. At this point, she didn’t know that he’d been rescued by Colbi. “I just knew the baby didn’t have a pulse,” she says. She looked into his mouth and saw that his airway was blocked and his tongue swollen. Forcing aside her terror, Severia stayed calm and began CPR. He quickly started regurgitating food. “Everything was coming up, but I didn’t stop. I didn’t care,” Severia says. “I was thinking, Lord, just bring this baby back to life.”
Suddenly, Severia felt Omari regurgitate water. That’s when she realized he’d been drowning. She pulled her mouth from his and said, “Say something to me, baby,” kissing him and squeezing him gently. The boy coughed. She could his shallow breath against her body. He was alive.
Severia heard sirens in the distance. She picked up the boy and brought him to the police and firemen arriving at the front gate. A police officer asked her to step aside. She said, “No, no, no. Don’t touch him.” She didn’t leave the boy’s side until the ambulance arrived.
Omari has since completely recovered. And once the story came out about Colbi’s heroics, he was lauded as a lifesaving hero. The sheriff brought him pizza and an honorary badge and asked him to walk with him in the Winter Wonderland parade. Colbi also received the Citizen Youth award. But perhaps the most significant blessing has been the effect the experience had on his confidence. “I see it in his spirit,” Severia says. “He shines.”
