Some bonds are forged in moments so fleeting, they ripple across decades.

For Barbara Ribeiro and Ben Colwell, a split-second rescue in 1961 became the foundation of a story that would bring them together again — 64 years later — in a reunion brimming with gratitude, tears, and a few good-natured chuckles. The pair first crossed paths when Barbara, then Barbara Urban, attended a bustling neighborhood party in San Diego. Chaos erupted when guests realized a 21-month-old boy, Ben, had vanished. “Oh yes, course,” Barbara said, when asked if she remembered the panic.

While others scattered, she followed an inexplicable instinct to a house down the street. “Yes, like I said, it was a mystery what prompted me to go where I did go,” Barbara said of the nearly miraculous path she decided to take that fateful day. There, she spotted Ben motionless at the bottom of a pool. “Scary, frightening,” she added.

Barbara Ribeiro and Ben Colwell. Photo courtesy of Ribeiro and Colwell

Without hesitation, Barbara plunged in, pulled him out, and — guided by a neighbor’s instructions — performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. “She had me do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and it worked,” Barbara said. Ben, now 66, laughed softly during their reunion. “Well, that’s a good thing,” he said. Though he remembers nothing of the ordeal, his mother’s account stayed with him. “Yeah, the only thing that I had ever heard someone say, I think it was my mom, telling me that when you guys found me, there wasn’t any bubbles coming up no, so no one knew how long I had been down there,” Ben said.

When I really think of it, I think ‘hand of God.'”

Decades later, their paths realigned when Ben’s siblings organized a surprise reunion with CBS 8 San Diego capturing the moment. Barbara, now 94, greeted him with a tearful hug. “Hello, hello young man!” Barbara said as Ben walked in. “It’s nice to see you,” Ben replied. Reflecting on his second chance, he said knew how miraculous it was. “When I really think of it, I think ‘hand of God.'” Ben said. “He made sure that I made it for some reason.”

The newspaper article at the time of the rescue. Photo from YouTube/CBS 8

That reason, he believes, led him to become a business owner and father of two. “I have very much been blessed,” Ben said. Barbara, still moved by the memory, wiped away tears. “I am sorry,” she said, to which Ben quietly told her, “Thank you so much for going to look for me.” “I am glad it turned out the way it did,” Barbara said. The two shared a heartfelt hug, with Ben adding, “me too.”

After the near-tragedy, Ben’s family moved away, and the families lost touch — until now. “It’s been a long time,” Barbara said, smiling through tears. For Ben, the reunion wasn’t just a walk down memory lane but a chance to honor the woman who ensured his future. As Barbara put it, some mysteries — like why she chose that house — are best left unanswered.

Sources: CBS 8 | Good News Network