Houston mom who died saving her kids in house fire receives posthumous medal

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- On Feb. 3, Giovanna Cabrera called 911 to tell them her home was on fire. She told dispatch her two young children were outside, but that she and her 1-year-old were trapped inside.

Giovanna Cabrera died trying to rescue her 1-year-old after saving her two other children. Now, she's being recognized as a Carnegie Hero recipient. She is one of 18 Americans to get this prestigious civilian award.

ABC13 was there the day Cabrera and her baby died. Eyewitness News spoke to her sister Giselle Bueno, who shared her overwhelming grief earlier this year.

"She had him in her arms, the baby, so I know she tried. I knew she would have made it. If she could have, she would have made it out," Bueno said earlier this year.

Almost a year later, the family has been working to rebuild their lives, and lift up Cabrera's two surviving children.

"We have been with the kids all the time. We are always there with them. We have never left them a single second. We remind them about their mom. We tell them about their mom and their baby brother," Bueno said.

Giselle isn't surprised her sister went back in to save her child. She always knew her sister was a hero, and now the country knows as well.

"She was always there for her kids. They were the most important thing to her. She would do anything that she could for them, and that's what she demonstrated," Bueno said.

Cabrera is one of 18 Americans to receive the Carnegie Hero Award, a civilian honor that highlights the best of us, those who risked it all and some who paid the ultimate price.

"We're really grateful. We're really thankful. It gives us a little bit of peace knowing that she is getting the recognition that she deserves because we know she is a hero," Bueno said.

Eric Zahren with the Carnegie Hero Commission says this is an award that Cabrera clearly deserves.

"We're committed to keeping Giovanna's story forever and keeping it in the consciousness that these are the extraordinary things that we are capable of. Through your selflessness and sacrifice, you'll never be forgotten," Zahren said.

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