poligonchik/iStock/Thinkstock(BAL HARBOUR, Fla.) — Dramatic video shows the moment a 9-year-old boy saved his baby brother after he fell off a changing table.
The video was taken on Sept. 29, but Bal Harbour, Florida, resident Tila Levi, 35, didn’t post it to her Facebook until last week because she was “embarrassed” about the incident at first, she told ABC News. Three days after it happened, on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, her husband sent it to all of their family and friends to let them know they were “starting the year off with a miracle.”
In the video, Levi has just changed 11-month-old Eitan’s diaper when she becomes distracted by her 6-year-old son, Zion, who she says asked a question about his homework. At first, Eitan is lying on his back on the changing table, but in the moment Levi turns away, the baby rolls over. One of his legs can be seen dangling over the table’s edge before he tips and falls about 3 feet to the ground.
Just before Eitan hits the ground, Levi’s 9-year-old son, Joseph, dives in to catch his baby brother. Eitan’s legs hit the floor, but Joseph is able to grab his upper body to soften the blow and prevent his head from smacking the wood floor.
After Levi realizes what happened, she is seen in the video embracing both of her sons. Eitan was fine, Levi said, but Joseph was “shaken up” and “surprised” that he even caught his 30-pound baby brother, since he can barely lift him.
Joseph wasn’t even in Eitan’s bedroom at the time, Levi said — he just happened to be walking by when Eitan fell. Joseph told his mother that he felt as if an “angel pushed” him because he doesn’t believe he could have rescued the baby on his own, she said.
Levi decided to post the video after Election Day last week when people were “so angry and so mean to each other on Facebook.” The mother of five decided to craft a message to “change the tone of the day,” saying parents should be “grateful” for every minute they have with their children.
“We all experience miracles every day,” she said
The video was recorded on a high-tech baby monitor that stores videos on a smartphone app. After everyone calmed down, Levi said she and her husband must have watched the video hundreds of times to try and figure out what went wrong and how she can prevent something similar from happening again.
“My baby had an angel by his side,” Levi said. “… Thank God it was a happy ending.”
Joseph’s family hailed him a hero after he saved his brother. His grandparents wanted to buy him a gift to reward him “for being so brave,” but he declined, saying getting to help Eitan was “enough” for him, Levi said.
Levi said she wanted to share her story to emphasize that parents go through similar ordeals every day.
“My message is to parents: Enjoy your kids,” Levi said. “Protect them as much as you can. At the end of the day, in a second, everything can change.”
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