You know that saying, "heroes are born, not made"? That definitely rings true when it comes to children who have actually managed to save someone's life — and there are way more of them out there than you might think. Many adults don't even know exactly how to react in an emergency, so what these little ones have done is really impressive. These are kids who have done the impossible in the face of danger or huge risk, and even though we're sure they are already, their parents should be very proud. These kids each need a national holiday in their honor, or at least a day off of school!
This Girl Took Multiple Bullets For Her Mom
A daughter's love for her mother often knows no bounds... especially in this case. In 2008, seven-year-old Alexis Goggins was in the car with her mom, Seliethia Parker, when mom's ex-boyfriend, Calvin, jumped into the car, threatening them with a gun. When they pulled over, Calvin started shooting at them, and Alexis knew she had to do something. She jumped in the front seat, yelling "Don't hurt my mother!" Unfortunately, that meant that Alexis took six bullets while her mother took two, but fortunately, Alexis actually managed to survive the attack — and she's a major hero for what she's done.
This Teen Saved Kids From A Burning House
When a neighbor's house caught on fire, 18-year-old Matthew Robinson sprung into action. He climbed a ladder and went into the burning house to save two children who were inside, and his parents helped to save the family's other three kids. It's an impossibly scary situation, so Matthew is obviously incredibly brave. "The kids are alive and that's all that matters," Matthew's mom, Jackie, said later. "It all happened so quickly we didn't really have time to think about our own safety. Matt was very calm, I am very proud of him. He has more guts than I have considering he is only 18."
This Boy Saved His Friend From Drowning Under Ice
There's a reason parents always tell their children not to play on frozen ponds or lakes, but sometimes, their curiosity gets the best of them. That's exactly what happened back in 2009 when Victor Flores and his friend, Aiden, who were nine at the time, tried to walk on a frozen pond. As you can probably guess, Aiden fell in, and when Victor tried to save him, he fell in, too. But then, Victor's quick thinking kicked in, and he was able to escape the water and get a pole to help Aiden get out of the water, too. Fortunately, both boys are fine today.. .and they probably learned a really important lesson that day.
This Girl Saved Her Friend From Choking
After watching the Heimlich maneuver on the Disney Channel, six-year-old Beanie Mar knew exactly what to do when she discovered her friend choking in a Sacramento elementary school. During lunch, her friend Aniyah Rigmaiden was choking on a piece of apple, and fortunately, Beanie was there to save the day. The best part of the whole thing? According to reports, Beanie acted like it was really no big deal. The world could learn a lot from Beanie — what if everyone believed taking care of each other was just no big deal?
A Five Year Old Saved A Baby From Drowning
Vacations can be a fun time away with friends and family, but sometimes, there's potential for danger, too. While visiting Florida and swimming in her hotel pool, five-year-old Riley Braden witnessed a nearby 18-month-old baby toddle into the pool and fall in, and thanks to her quick action, she was able to save the baby's life. "There was no lifeguard, and the girl's parents were lounging by the side of the pool with their clothes on," Riley said. "When I brought her up, I shouted, 'I've got the baby! I've got the baby!'" Sounds like that baby's parents should be thanking Riley... and her parents, for making sure she was so good at swimming.
Teenagers Lifted 2,000 Pounds To Save Their Father
Back in 2013, 14-year-old Haylee and 16-year-old Hannah from Oregon were forced to spring into action when their father, Jeff, was trapped under his 2,000 pound tractor after it tipped over on him in their yard. Without their quick thinking, their dad could have been crushed to death, but somehow, they managed to find the superhuman strength in themselves to pick up the tractor since they were the only ones around at the time. “To think of two fairly small teenage girls being able to do something like that was incredible," their dad, who is doing fine these days, told Inside Edition later on.
A Boy Saved His Father From A Bull
In 2011, a 10-year-old boy named Tom Phillips was able to save his father from being attacked by a bull by hopping in his tractor -- yes, another tractor related story. Despite the fact that Tom usually isn't allowed to use his dad's tractor, when he saw an angry bull approaching him near their home in the UK, he had no choice but to climb aboard and speed quickly toward his dad to help him. He was able to get the bull away, and after two weeks in the hospital, Tom's dad is fine. "Andrew only survived because of Tom's amazing reactions to what must have been horrific for a 10-year-old boy to witness," Tom's mom, Amanda, said.
This Son Saved His Mother From Choking
When he discovered that his mom, Genene Corbett, was choking on a chocolate bar, 11-year-old Keith was there to save the day. He performed the Heimlich maneuver on her, and after a couple of tries, the chocolate was out and his mom was safe. Since they were the only two people home at the time, it's a really good thing that he was home to help her. "I don’t know why I was so calm," Keith said of the event. "It is not like this is something that is normal for me. I can’t explain it. I kind of just knew what to do, so I just did and my mom was fine.” Sounds like Keith has some killer instincts! His mom is really lucky to have him.
These Two Kids Saved Babies From A Fire
Going into a burning building is usually something only firefighters are brave enough to tackle, but for these little boys, it was a no-brainer if it meant saving two tiny lives. Ten and eleven-year-old Isaiah and Jeremiah were busy playing video games when their neighbor's home caught on fire, but they immediately dropped what they were doing to see how they could help. Not only did they brave the flames to save two infants who were inside, but they also called 911 and alerted emergency services. "It felt like 150 degrees in there," Jeremiah said. "I'm just thinking, 'Stay calm, keep your mind straight, stay focused on what you're doing.'"
This Girl Practically Saved Her Entire Family
A 10-year-old Arizona girl also had to gather her courage to save others from a fire — but this time, she was saving her own family. Samantha Christian came to the rescue when she woke up in the middle of the night to discover her family's home was on fire. Immediately, she woke her mom up and helped one of her brothers through the smoke to safety before going back into the burning house and carry her four-year-old brother, Mikey, to safety since he was still asleep. Unfortunately, they lost their home and everything they owned in the fire, but everyone in their family is still alive because of Samantha.
This Kiddo Saved His Dad — Even Without Pants
This story is equally adorable and inspiring. Back in 2012, 10-year-old Michigan boy AJ Heiber found his dad in the bathtub having been stung by two bees — which he's deathly allergic to. Unfortunately, AJ's mom wasn't home, so he did what he knew he had to do: Jumped on his bike as quickly as he could. He was only wearing his underwear at the time because there was no time to throw pants on first. Fortunately, AJ was able to alert his mom and she got home in time to administer her husband's Epipen and call 911. After his father was treated at the hospital, it was fine — and it's all because of AJ's quick thinking.
This Kid Scared Off An Attacker With A BB Gun
It sounds like many of these kids truly spring into action when their parents are in danger, and this guy is no exception. Back in 2011, a Washington boy named Kobe Sturgeon, who was 11 at the time, was woken up when his mother's roommate, a man named Paul Newman, came home drunk and started attacking her. At first, Kobe told him to stop, and then he hit him with a board. So when that didn't work, he got his BB gun out and shot him in the face four times, which gave them enough time to get away and call 911. "He kept on hurting my mom, so I went and grabbed my BB gun and I said, 'get off my mom. Get off my mom.'" Kobe said. "And I said, 'get off my mom,' and I shot him with my BB gun."
A Real Hero In The Face Of Hurricane Harvey
When Hurricane Harvey hit last year, so many lives were lost, and even more were put in danger. Fortunately, there were plenty of brave people who were willing to spring into action to help out, including a certain 13-year-old boy. Using an air mattress, Virgil Smith was able to save 17 people in his apartment complex by helping them float to safety, including babies and an elderly, wheelchair-bound woman. As Virgil helped load people onto the mattress, neighbors pitched in to push the mattress where they could get off on the building's second floor to safety. If only more people were like Virgil in a crisis situation!
This Boy Saved His Drowning Brother
What kids watch in TV and movies definitely has an effect on them... sometimes for the better. Days after watching San Andreas, starring The Rock, last summer, 10-year-old Michigan Boy Jacob O'Connor knew exactly what to do when he found his little brother, Dylan, drowning in a pool. He was able to pull the two-year-old out and gave him compressions just like he saw The Rock do in the movie, and because of that, Dylan survived. "The movie just popped up in my head and I started thinking about that scene,” Jacob told the Washington Post. “And that’s when I started doing the compressions.”
A Girl Saved Her Mother's Life... With The Help Of Pizza
This one is kind of hilarious, but only because it features a happy ending and the cutest kid ever. In 2012, seven-year-old Rita Lawlor couldn't wake her mom up, so she did what most hungry seven-year-old kids would do in that situation and hit her in the face with a piece of pizza. Yes, this is a true story. This is something that really happened. Anyway, when Rita's mom still didn't wake up despite the pizza slap, she called 911 and was able to get her mom the help she needed. "'I called 911, but first I slapped her with a piece of pizza," Rita explained. Well, now you know, if your mom doesn't wake up after being hit with pizza, there's a serious problem.
Two Kids Saved A Bus Load Of Children
Why save just one life when you can save many? In 2018, two boys from La Grange, Texas — Karson Vega and Kyler Buzek, a seventh grader and a tenth grader — were riding the school bus when their bus driver had a "medical emergency" and started swerving. Instantly, Karson took the wheel so that he could safely pull the bus over while Kyler called 911. Fortunately, everyone on the bus was safe, just because these boys were in the right place at the right time. “What’s really wonderful about this story is the fact that both student who took action very seldom ride that bus, and that day, both of them were on that bus," La Grange superintendent Bill Wagner said. "It’s almost like it was meant to be."
An Eight Year Old Saved His Father From An Attack
Kids usually spring into action when they find their parents in immense danger, and this situation is no different. An eight-year-old Australian boy named Jack Foster was asleep when he discovered his father, Chris, was being attacked by a drug seeking man wielding a crowbar. Not only did Jack call emergency services, but he also hit the attacker with his toys to try to get him to stop and took care of his father until medics arrived at their house to help him. Now, Jack and Chris are both okay, and Chris' attacker is in serving a four year sentence. A happy ending!
A Second Grader Saved Her Grandmother's Life
Last year, seven-year-old Kenzie Smith was riding in the car with her grandma, Donna, when Donna was short of breath and pulled over before passing out Immediately, Kenzie knew that something was wrong and realized that her grandmother needed help. She called 911 and because of her quick action, paramedics were able to help her grandma and save her life. When she talked to the media afterward, Kenzie emphasized how important it is for all people to know how to save a life, just in case they're in a situation like the one she was in. What a sweetheart!
This Boy Stopped The Car From Crashing When His Dad Had a Seizure
A 12-year-old Massachusetts boy named Patrick Canney was in the car with his father and sister when his father started suffering from an epileptic seizure. Rather than panic, Patrick knew he had to get his family to safety, so he took the wheel and managed to pull the car over before calling 911 for help. Since his father has epilepsy, Patrick's parents had prepared him for what to do if something like this happened, and it seems like thinking ahead really paid off in this case. "I grabbed the steering wheel and pulled it to the side," Patrick said. "When we were really slow, I turned the key off and tried to put it in park. I took his phone out of his pocket and called 911." Way to go, Patrick! He was later honored for his bravery, pictured above.
This Little Girl Saved Her Father's Life
Seven-year-old Chloe Bradburn saved her dad's life when she called 999 (which is 911 in the UK) after she realized she had an emergency on her hands. Of course, she didn't know it at the time, but a cyst on her dad's pancreas had unexpectedly burst. "I heard a thud and then I went downstairs and I saw Daddy crying on the floor and then I dialed 999 because I saw he was hurt," Chloe said. “I felt scared. They told me to pump this heart seven times and make sure he was breathing." Fortunately, her dad, Ashley, is just fine now, and he credits his daughter with his survival. Pretty impressive, right?
