‘This is a matter of faith’: Father describes ‘miraculous’ recovery after trying to save kids from rip current

TAMPA, Fla. - When Vitelio and his family went to the east coast of Florida for the Fourth of July holiday, he never imagined he would end up unconscious in the hospital for three days after trying to save his children from strong rip currents in Daytona Beach.

"The kids were playing fine on the shore, and then there were things like a little bit of wind, stronger waters, and they start moving a little bit farther and farther, and that's when Matthew started making signs," Silva shared.

Matthew Silva, the oldest of the three kids, called for help and tried to assist his brother.

"My brother started panicking, so I swam to him and I just hoisted him up so he didn't drink water," Matthew said.

Then, their father went into the water but struggled in the strong currents.

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"I tried to get everybody out, but it wasn't that easy," said Silva.

Lifeguards also helped the family, but both Matthew Silva and his father were unconscious when they were pulled out of the water.

"When I saw everybody in the water, I felt like, this sharp pain in my heart, oh my goodness, my family, I lost my family," said Florelsa Silva, the children’s mother.

CPR worked for Matthew Silva, but Vitelio Silva wouldn’t wake up. They were both taken to the hospital.

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Vitelio Silva suffered from cardiac arrest and was unconscious in the hospital for three days. He says his quick recovery is nothing short of a miracle.

"All the improvement came in so fast, according to the experts, there is not really an easy explanation other than, this is a matter of faith," Vitelio Silva said. "My brother is a neurosurgeon and he texted me saying there is no science or medicine that can explain this miracle, so in a way it feels like we owe that message to as many people as possible."

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