A Florida family is speaking out to raise awareness of a potentially fatal occurrence people may not know about. Over the summer, their son, Dylan Smith, was swimming in the backyard when his parents suddenly found him passed out. Thankfully, the Smith family has multiple medical professionals in their neighborhood who were able to administer aid quickly. But after Dylan was taken to the hospital, the family learned he had something called “shallow water blackout.”
Back in June 2025, 8-year-old Dylan was swimming the length of the family swimming pool, mom Tiffany Graver-Smith told CBS News. As he went back and forth, he was holding his breath. A few attempts were successful, but then something changed.
“It got really eerie and quiet. My house is never that quiet,” Graver-Smith explained to the outlet. “It made me look up and I saw Dylan in the corner of the pool.”
His dad, Brandon Smith, immediately rushed over to the boy. “I just see Dylan lifeless,” he told the outlet. “Water was coming out of his mouth and nose. I just instantly jumped in the pool and grabbed Dylan from Tiffany. I said a quick prayer, and I laid him on the edge of the shallow end of the pool and just started CPR.”
Despite Dylan knowing how to swim, he nearly drowned because of shallow water blackout.
According to the National Institutes of Health, shallow water blackout occurs when “people attempt prolonged breath-holding and push past their safety threshold.” The average person can only hold their breath between 30 and 90 seconds. If you are not breathing adequately, you can drown, which is what happened to Dylan. Also known as hypoxic blackout, it can be fatal.
When Dylan arrived at Holtz Children’s Hospital, his prognosis wasn’t great. Doctors told Graves-Smith “You may not go home with your son,” she recalled to CBS News. “I remember being really mad at her for saying that because I was like, ‘Don’t give up on my son yet.’”
But his doctors were just being realistic. Many kids with his diagnosis don’t leave the hospital.
Doctors used therapeutic hypothermia to cool the boy’s body in an effort to lessen additional brain injury. Thankfully, it seemed to work, and Dylan’s MRI came back clear. But that was just the beginning of a long journey.
The “one of a kind” boy, who was active and full of life before the near-drowning, spent the next two months learning how to walk, talk, and breathe correctly. To the delight of his care team, he was successful.
“To really see him continue to grow and improve and get back to a near normal state is really such a miracle,” Dr. Kathryn Swaby, a member of his care team, told CBS News. Physician’s assistant Lissette Medina, who lives next door to the Smiths, echoed the sentiment.
“He’s at my house a lot, playing with my daughters,” Medina shared in an interview with Florida International University, where she is an alumna. Medina jumped in to help the boy before first responders arrived.
“To see him healthy and full of life—it’s a miracle. I wish we could have met under different circumstances, but I’m so grateful to have been part of this story,” she shared.
Despite Dylan’s amazing recovery, the family had to deal with a lot of unexpected medical expenses. People close to the family began a GoFundMe account to help the family recoup some of the costs. It’s raised more than $33,000 thus far.
“If you know Dylan, you know he is remarkable,” the fundraiser reads. “He finds joy in nature and all the adventures it offers, and his charisma, gentle spirit, and infectious smile have a way of lighting up every room. Dylan brings laughter, wonder, and unforgettable joy to everyone around him.”
