Arizona teen back on soccer field a year after heroic flood rescue nearly cost him his arm
GLOBE, Ariz. - Saturday, Sept. 26 marks one year since the historic and deadly flash floods that ripped through parts of Gila County, including the city of Globe, and as the date approaches, we checked in on one teen whose brave actions kept his family alive during the height of the storms.
The backstory:
When we first interviewed the Mellema family, they were outside Phoenix Children's Hospital because their teenage son Tim had been flown there after a heroic act to save his parents during the flooding nearly cost him his arm.
"Doctors are happy with his recovery," said Rose Mellema, Tim's sister.
Rose Mellema says her brother Tim has made incredible progress over the past year.
"He's going to physical therapy, getting mobility back. He can't write yet or anything but he can use it occasionally. He has a splint to help pick up things when he needs to," Rose Mellema said.
Local perspective:
The Mellema family ultimately made the choice to have their home demolished due to the extensive flood damage.
"Now we are living in a house provided by our church. So we do have a roof over our heads, we have beds, a kitchen, all that kind of stuff," Rose Mellema said.
We spoke with Tim in fall 2025, when he was honored at halftime during a Phoenix Rising game for his heroism.
"I get to walk out onto the field with the players so I'm very excited about that," Tim Mellema said during that interview.
An avid soccer player, Tim is back on the pitch with his team.
"Recently he won a Phoenix Rising Cup with his team so that was super exciting considering we thought he would never play again and now he's a champion," Rose Mellema said.
But Tim was always a champion to his family, as shown in Rose's description of him last year when he was still hospitalized.
"He's my favorite person ever and I needed him so much so I was just praying and praying that he'd be okay," Rose Mellema said during a 2025 interview.
Tim himself is quick to downplay his actions.
"I had no idea what I was doing the first five minutes, it was kind of all instinct," Tim Mellema said.
But Rose says her brother always steps up.
"I'm reminded every day of how I know he would do it again. He would do it again to save anybody he cares about. I'm so grateful for life, for my own but also for the people around me because you never know when that will get taken away from you and that's not in a position of fear but just to be grateful every single day for everything," Rose Mellema said.
What's next:
Rose says Tim is still hoping to play collegiate soccer. The family also still credits a Globe nurse named Megan, who applied a tourniquet to Tim's arm before he was flown to Phoenix, with saving his life.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Rose Mellema, Tim Mellema, and a Globe nurse.