Talk about the gift of grab. This one turns into the gift of life as former college football player Phillip Blanks makes an amazing catch of a child thrown from the third floor of a burning building in Phoenix.
Blanks was a former U.S. Marine who played wide receiver at Saddleback College.
“Ultimately, this is my job,” Blanks said. “It was all fast, it was a blur. It was tunnel vision as I was running. I didn’t see anything but the baby.”” Blanks told ABC7 News. “He was twirling in the air like a propeller. I didn’t hear anything, I didn’t see anything else.”
The boy’s 30-year-old mother, Rachel Long, died in the fire.
“The mother, she is the real hero of the story because she made the ultimate sacrifice to get her children out,” Blanks said.
The boy and his 8-year-old sister, who was rescued by a different samaritan, “were rushed to the hospital with burns but are expected to survive,” according to ABC7 News.
Blanks served in the United States Marines Corps while spending time in 12 different countries.
He moved to Arizona a year ago and currently works in executive protection, or as a bodyguard, he said. He was at a friend’s apartment for a workout Friday when he heard people yelling outside.
“I wasn’t able to grab my shoes,” Blank said. “I ran down the stairs barefoot…” and then he started looking to see who needed help.
The Kalamazoo (Mi) native served four years in the military after completing one year at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Blanks said in an interview with MLive. Prior to college, he played four years as a wide receiver and linebacker at Kalamazoo Central.
Blanks said he’s currently searching area hospitals for the children to try and offer any help he can.
“I would honestly like to be involved in the kids’ lives,” Blanks said, “because I know they had a traumatic experience and I know that their lives have changed forever.”
Blanks said he isn’t looking for attention and he hopes he can help the children affected by the fire.
“In this situation if I could use this platform to get these kids some help, that’d be great,” Blanks said. “I don’t need any. I don’t want any help or too much recognition for this. I just feel like I was doing my job.”