A 9-year-old girl with cerebral palsy is being hailed as a hero after she saved her baby brother from drowning.
On May 5, Lexie Comeau-Drisdelle was getting ready to celebrate her birthday with family and friends at her home in Halifax, Canada.
As the rest of her family got ready for guests, Lexie saw her 1-year-old brother, Leeland, walk into the backyard and jump into the pool, according to CNN.
Although Lexie is unable to walk or talk because of her cerebral palsy, she didn’t let that stop her.
She screamed as loud as she could, according to her mother, Kelly Jackson.
“I was upstairs changing for the party, her dad was picking up her older brother, and my mom was in the kitchen, when suddenly I just heard Lexie screaming. I panicked and immediately thought ‘Oh no, she must have fallen off her chair,’” Jackson told CNN.
Lexie’s grandmother Nancy Comeau-Drisdelle, ran to the screaming birthday girl, who was pointing at the door that leads to the pool.
“I took off outside, and I’m not seeing him,” Comeau-Drisdelle told CTV Atlantic. “I ran, and he’s right by the edge (of the pool) and I took him out.”
Other than coughing up some pool water, Leeland was fine. As a precaution, he was later taken to a local hospital.
Kelly Jackson was proud of her daughter’s actions in the heat of the moment.
“I hugged her, I cried, and I still thank her every day because, honestly, in that matter, two seconds makes a huge difference,” Jackson said, according to CNN.
Lexie is also getting praise from the Halifax Regional Police and local officials, which honored her on July 4 with a special commendation.
Two days after the near tragedy, the family installed a gated fence between the house and pool to keep Leeland from taking another unsupervised dip.
Comeau-Drisdelle said Lexie’s actions prove anyone can be a hero.
“You don’t need to be able to walk and talk and have all your senses. You can still make yourself heard, and you can still help. And yes, she did save his life,” Comeau-Drisdelle told CTV.