June 22, 2026
By: Derek Zarn
How Three Urbandale Heroes Saved Lives When Every Second Counted
A life can change in a matter of seconds.
One moment, a child is in the water. The next, something is wrong.
There is no time for a meeting, no time for a plan, no time to wait and hope someone else will notice. In those moments, everything depends on the person who sees danger first — and what they choose to do next.
In Urbandale, three people made that choice.
An 11-year-old girl noticed a child drowning and acted quickly. A civilian stepped in to remove that child from the pool and help save a life. A fire battalion chief saw a young woman in crisis on an interstate bridge and twice intervened before tragedy could unfold.
Mya Cannon, Alexis Newton and Battalion Chief Mike Gentosi Recognized
The City of Urbandale recognized Mya Cannon, Alexis Newton and Battalion Chief Mike Gentosi for those lifesaving acts during a special awards presentation before a City Council meeting. Their stories are different, but each begins the same way: with someone in danger and someone else refusing to stand by.
For Mya Cannon, the moment came at a pool.
She was just 11 years old when she recognized that another child was drowning. It is the kind of moment that can be difficult to process even for adults. The signs of drowning can be quiet. A child in trouble may not be able to call out. Panic can move faster than words.
But Mya saw what was happening.
Instead of freezing, she acted. She helped move the child toward the edge of the pool, close enough for the child to be removed from the water and revived.
It was a small window of time, but a decisive one. Mya’s actions helped create the chance for another person to step in.
That person was Alexis Newton.
![City of Urbandale Awards Presentation]()
Mya Cannon and Alexis Newton
Newton removed the child from the pool and helped save the child’s life. In an emergency where every second mattered, Mya and Newton became connected by a single chain of action: one saw the danger, one pulled the child from the water and together they helped turn a terrifying moment into a rescue.
For their actions, Mya and Newton received the Urbandale Fire Department’s Lifesaving Award, which is presented to a person who is principally involved in saving the life of another person and whose personal actions were directly responsible for the lifesaving act.
Mya’s recognition carries a special weight. At 11 years old, she showed that courage is not reserved for adults, professionals or people with years of training. Sometimes courage is simply awareness matched with action. Sometimes it is a young person noticing what others might miss and doing what needs to be done.
The City also honored Battalion Chief Mike Gentosi with the Medal of Valor for his actions during a separate crisis.
![City of Urbandale Awards Presentation]()
Battalion Chief Mike Gentosi celebrates Medal of Valor recognition.
Gentosi recognized that a young woman was experiencing a mental health crisis on an interstate bridge. The danger was immediate. The stakes could not have been higher. Twice, he intervened to stop her from jumping.
The Medal of Valor is presented to a firefighter who is confronted with imminent personal risk and performs an act of conspicuous heroism that furthers the highest traditions of the fire service. Gentosi’s actions reflected the courage expected of first responders, but also something deeper: the ability to recognize a person in profound distress and respond with urgency, steadiness and compassion.
“These acts reflect the very best of our community,” said Derek Zarn, Urbandale’s Director of Communications. “In moments of crisis, each of these individuals stepped forward with courage, awareness, and compassion.”
That is what ties these stories together.
A child near the edge of a pool. A young woman on a bridge. Three people who saw the danger in front of them and moved toward it.
Communities are often defined by their growth, their schools, their businesses, their parks and their neighborhoods. But they are also defined in quieter, more urgent moments — when someone is vulnerable, when hesitation could be costly and when another person decides that doing nothing is not an option.
In Urbandale, Mya Cannon, Alexis Newton and Battalion Chief Mike Gentosi each made that decision.
And because they did, lives were saved.
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Derek Zarn
Derek Zarn is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the City of Urbandale.