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Baby Saved On Miami Highway Celebrates 1st Birthday

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- A baby boy rescued by his aunt's quick actions on a Miami highway celebrated his first birthday on Saturday.

Sebastian de la Cruz spent time with his new baby sister, Chloe de la Cruz on his special day, reported CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald.

Baby Sebastian Turns 1
Sebastian De La Cruz with his mother Paola Vargas and his aunt Aunt Pamela Rauseo (Courtesy: AL DIAZ/MIAMI HERALD STAFF)

He also had a pool party with a bounce house and a donated Little Dumbo cake topped with one candle.

But this celebration almost didn't come true.

On February 20th, his aunt Pamela Rauseo, 37, rescued five month old Sebastian after he had stopped breathing while she was driving on the 836 expressway.

Baby Sebastian Rescue
Pamela Rauseo, 37, performs CPR on her nephew, five-month-old Sebastian de la Cruz, (Courtesy: AL DIAZ/MIAMI HERALD STAFF)

Once she noticed he had stopped breathing, she quickly pulled over.  Another woman driving, Lucila Godoy, pulled over to assist her.

Sebastian, who was born prematurely and had respiratory issues, was turning blue when his aunt jumped in to action and revived him on the side of the road using CPR.

Not only did she save his life, doctors later discovered Sebastian had life-threatening cysts on his trachea. Something which may not have been discovered if not for the roadside incident.

But it did happen. He did survive and spent his birthday surrounded by family and friends giggling and enjoying his first year on Earth.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report.)

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