On the afternoon of 20th June, a small window of distraction could have led to a tragedy. While the adults momentarily had their eyes off their kids, a 7-year-old child fell into a swimming pool. The incident occurred at an apartment complex in Fenton, Michigan. However, in a lucky turn of events, two people who happened to see this were quick on their feet and reacted immediately. The boys leaped into the pool, pulled the drowning kid from the bottom, and pushed her to the poolside. An alarm was raised, and the child’s mother immediately rushed in to perform CPR while another person dialed 911.

While the boy, Griffin, was saved from the waters, his body was blue and lifeless, and he wasn’t drawing any breaths. The emergency personnel arrived immediately, and the boy was soon rushed to a nearby hospital. Griffin completely recovered within 36 hours, thanks to being immediately pulled out of the water. The best part? The rescuers who pulled the boy out are aged 12 and 8!

Celebrating the Young Heroes!

On the occasion of Independence Day on 4th July, the Genesee Police Department decided to celebrate the young heroes. Sheriff Christopher Swanson captured the whole event in a Facebook Live video. Speaking excitedly about the young rescuers, named Noah(12) and Weston(8) to the camera, he said, “they are juvenile rescuers!” Police personnel had gathered in a park with the three kids and their families to honor them. 

The Genesee Police Department gave all three kids a Sheriff’s Star badge, along with a bundle of books and $100 shopping vouchers. Thanking his grandson’s saviors, Griffin’s grandfather said, “Most heroes don’t wear capes.” Sheriff Swanson asked Noah and Weston what they were thinking when rescuing Griffin. In their reply, the young boy said they felt it was the right thing to do. Swanson complimented the rational and adult thinking both of them possessed.

The Lesson From the Incident

Addressing people watching the video, the Sheriff said that it is important to be both vigilant and also know what to do in such situations. He said that it was the collective effort of everyone, from the dispatch call receivers to the doctors involved in the treatment, that made the rescue a success. He asked people to always keep an eye on any water body, even kiddie pools, whenever they go to enjoy somewhere. 

Acknowledging the importance of the CPR administered by Griffin’s mom, he said that every citizen should learn how to do it. He advised that they could always reach their nearest fire department to learn basic life-saving skills. When asked what lesson he would like to give to the community, Griffin’s grandfather said that one should never hesitate to get involved.

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He emphasized how the young rescuers could approach the problem in many ways but chose to dive in themselves, which made all the difference. Do you know how to swim? Do you know about any similar incidents where the quick thinking and action of some people led to the rescue of a person? We hope both Noah and Weston have a great future ahead of themselves and are a source of inspiration for other kids.

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