Hero Mom Jumps Out Of Burning Building To Save Her Son... 'He Mattered Way More Than I Did'

May 12, 2014

Lying in her hospital bed, Christina Simoes knows she may never walk again, but she says she's thankful she and her toddler son are alive after she jumped from a burning building with him in her arms.

CBS / WBZ-TV

When fire broke out Wednesday in their apartment complex, Simoes, 23, realized there was only one way to save her 18-month-old son, Cameron.

"I grabbed my son and I held him as tight as I could to my chest and I gave him a kiss and a hug, and I told him I loved him and I jumped out the window," Simoes told CBS Boston Sunday from her hospital bed.

"I didn't think about it. All I was thinking about was getting him out of there. He mattered way more than I did," she said.

Simoes said last week she was lying in the bed with Cameron when she saw smoke in her window and jumped up.

CBS / WBZ-TV

"That's when I saw the flames were only 10 feet away from where I was standing," Simoes recalled.

With the fire spreading rapidly, Simoes said, she had no choice but to jump from a second-story balcony holding on to Cameron for dear life.

Right now, Christina is unable to walk but Cameron is doing just fine. She will remain in the hospital for at least 10 days before beginning rehab.

Despite her incredibly brave act and sacrifice, she says she is not a hero for saving her son.

"I don't think that I'm any special hero at all. I'm just Cameron's mom," Simoes said.

Via CBS Boston