Heroes come in all different shapes and sizes. Sometimes, we may not even recognize the good things they do or are capable of doing until they are put in the right situation.
A young boy has proved himself to be a hero and he did so by performing a most selfless act. His family was stranded in the river and in order to get help, he had to swim an hour in the deep water.
That seven-year-old boy, Chase Poust was with his father, Stephen, and Abigail, his four-year-old sister. It was the start of the Memorial Day weekend and they were enjoying some time on the water.
They were near Jacksonville Florida in the St. John’s River at an area known as Mandarin Point. The boat was anchored and Stephen was going to do some spot fishing while the children were swimming in the area.
The problem was, that the father had misjudged the strength of the current and it wasn’t long before Abigail was getting further and further away from the boat. She was wearing a life jacket at the time.
Chase said: “The current was so strong that my sister — she usually hangs out at the back of the boat — and she let go. So, I let go of the boat and grabbed her, and then, I was stuck.”
When Chase let go of the boat he was not wearing a life jacket but he knew he had to help his sister. Stephen also jumped in the river to grab his daughter but she just continued to drift further from the boat.
At this point, Stephen said: “I told them I loved him because I wasn’t sure what’s going to happen. I tried to stick with both of them. I wore myself out. She drifted away from me.”
Chase was frightened to swim to the shore by himself but he was able to get there by doggy paddling and sometimes, floating on his back. He swam a total of an hour against the current until he made it to land and then he ran for help.
His father said: “I screamed for help at the top of my lungs and waved my arms and sure enough someone heard us. Little man also made it to shore and got help and that’s what saved our lives.”
About an hour later, Stephen and Abigail were rescued from the river with help from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Sheriff’s office. They were about a mile away from the boat by the time they were rescued.
A spokesperson for the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said: “We had every resource we could have possibly had coming quickly and we’re happy to say all three have been recovered, and all three are doing well. We couldn’t ask for a better outcome.”
We couldn’t agree more. Watch this video to learn more about what happened: