8-Year-Old Girl Becomes Hero after Saving Drowning Stranger despite Not Being Able to Swim

An 8-year-old girl recently proved that heroes come in all shapes and sizes after saving a 12-year-old boy who was drowning in a lake in Moncreiffe Island, Perth, Scotland.

Tierney Batt was near the River Tay when she happened to spot Cayden Paterson struggling to keep his head above water, but no one on shore was noticing him.

Cayden called for help several times, but none of the adults could hear him. Despite not knowing how to swim, Tierney knew that it was up to her to help the boy.

NO TIME TO THINK

Without giving it a second thought, the little girl rushed into the lake and made her way to Cayden, carefully holding his head until they were both rescued.

Following the incident, Kerry Paterson, Cayden's mother, had nothing but great things to say about Tierney, praising her incredible bravery and calmness and describing her as "simply amazing." She added:

"I can't express just how grateful I am - things could have been very different if she hadn't helped him. She put herself in a situation of danger too, so I'm just so happy they're both OK."

Tierney's father, Greg Batt, was impressed by her quick thinking and for putting Cayden's safety before her own, which concerned him a lot. According to him, it was adrenaline that kept Tierney going. He recalled:

"Proud isn't the word. The whole family was so nice, they thanked us so much and Kerry sent me a message on Facebook just saying how grateful they were."

Kerry later said that her son became much more cautious following the incident, claiming that he won't be going back in the water. Although the boy was physically fine, it was quite a frightening experience.

The relieved mother also left a word of advice for other parents regarding the dangers of open waters and how they can still be very dangerous even though they seem calm and not too deep.

SMALL IN SIZE, BIG IN COURAGE

Children can be surprisingly aware of their surroundings despite their young age. Back in 2019, a 4-year-old boy named Gray Forrester saved his sister Andie from drowning in their backyard pool.

Gray saw the 2-year-old "doggy paddling" and looking very distressed, so he immediately grabbed her by the waist so she could breathe. Eventually, he managed to get her out of the water.

The incident took place in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Laura Forrester, the children's mother, praised God for giving Gray the gift to think fast. She has since invested in swimming lessons for Gray and Andie.

More recently, an 11-year-old boy by the name of Jayden Groves was honored by the St. Louis Fire Department after saving his 22-month-old brother from drowning.

Jayden received the Heroism Award from Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson and St Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson during an outdoor ceremony and is seen as a true hometown hero.