A 2-year-old boy survived a near-drowning incident at a pool party in northeast Miami-Dade after a family friend performed life-saving CPR. Raphael Biton spent three days at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital before being released with perfect test results following the March 3 emergency near the 20000 block of Northeast 22nd Court.
“I’m so grateful that my son came out of it the way he did, and there’s so many other parents that didn’t get as lucky as I did,” said his mother, Tina Biton. The incident occurred during what began as a fun pool party at the family’s home when the toddler fell into the water. “He went in the pool,” Biton said. “My husband started shrieking. He pulled him out of the water. He was white and blue, and it was a horrible thing to see, and thank God this angel here was at my home.”
Family friend Talya Ben David immediately performed CPR on the unconscious child, bringing him back to consciousness. “I just did whatever I thought I needed to do in that moment. I started the compressions, and he started to come back and bring out all the water, and thank God he was breathing again,” Ben David said. The quick action proved crucial in saving the toddler’s life before first responders arrived at the scene.
Bar Shlomi Biton, Raphael’s father, later met with the first responders who helped save his son’s life to express his gratitude. “We’re truly grateful for God, for the second chance he give us with our kid, and for his messengers he sent to be able to save our son life,” he said. The family described Raphael as bright-eyed, lively and happy, characteristics that have returned since his recovery.
The toddler’s mother emphasized the importance of never giving up hope during medical emergencies involving children. “Just never give up. Have faith, never give up - that’s the only thing I can say. Keep fighting, keep praying, keep giving and everything, and hopefully one day things will be perfect,” Tina Biton said. All of Raphael’s medical tests came back perfect following his three-day hospital stay.
Pembroke Pines Fire offers free monthly CPR classes for residents seeking to learn life-saving techniques. Miami-Dade County also provides CPR training classes for community members who want to be prepared for emergency situations like the one that nearly claimed Raphael’s life.