SAN ANTONIO--San Antonio native Steve Garcia and his friend Blake Miller of Austin both escaped from the Costa Concordia cruise ship near the island of Isola del Giglio, Italy.
Garcia's mother told News 4 WOAI her son was celebrating his 50th birthday. Garcia is a teacher in Round Rock, Texas. "Our hearts have been in our throats, my husband and I have just been holding on, " replied mom Chris Garcia.
Garcia said she felt a sense of relief Sunday afternoon when she saw her sons interview on NBC's Today show. "Just seeing him was the best thing for us, just seeing his face , we know he's in one piece, " added Garcia.
50-year-old Steve Garcia told the Today show, "We heard the horrible scrapping sound and we decided to run out for the life boats, ". Garcia said some crew members were going up and other were running down the ship.
Chris Garcia said she doesn't know when her son will be returning back to the states, but she says her son is ready to come home. "Once the shock is over, I'm sure he will look back on this day and say well it's okay, "said Garcia.
As of Sunday night both Steve Garcia and Blake Miller were in Rome, Italy.
