Contact: (602) 448-8459

PHOENIX (Nov. 17, 2019) – Seven-year-old Sabyan Varela will be recognized Monday by Phoenix Fire Department and Banner Health for his bravery in helping to rescue his pregnant mother Samone Varela as she faced life-threatening complications.

The award ceremony will be held at Banner Estrella Medical Center, 9201 W. Thomas Road, Monday Nov. 18 from 1 to 2 p.m. Please call (602) 448-8459 to RSVP.

Sabyan made a brave phone call to get his mother help when she had an eclamptic seizure at home on Oct. 1, 2019. After getting the phone from his stricken mother, he called his “Da-da’’ who told him to remain calm and wait for help. “He told me that he would wait outside for the firefighters. He was so calm. He did great,’’ said his father, Robert.

Phoenix Fire arrived and brought Mom to Banner Estrella’s Emergency department. The ED team initiated an OB rapid response and she underwent an emergency Cesarean. Mom, and infant daughter, Bella, are now home and doing well, says Robert Varela, husband and father.

Phoenix Fire Department will attend the awards event, complete with a firetruck.

Event photos will be posted to the Banner Health newsroom shortly afterward the award ceremony.

About Banner Estrella Medical Center

Banner Estrella Medical Center is a nonprofit hospital in west Phoenix specializing in heart care, obstetrics, general surgery, emergency services and weight-loss surgery. One of the first fully digital hospitals in the country, Banner Estrella has served as a model for dozens of new hospitals built around the world since it opened in 2005. Banner Estrella is part of Banner Health, a nonprofit healthcare system with 28 hospitals in six states. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com/Estrella.