Brave 7-Year-Old Boy Swims an Hour to Shore to Save His Family, Knowing He Is Their Last Hope

It is said that adrenaline can make anyone accomplish the craziest of feats, and so, in an attempt to make sure his family didn't die tragic deaths, a 7-year-old exhausted himself, swimming against the current for an hour. However, did his heroism save the day, or were his efforts all in vain?

It was just an ordinary day in Jacksonville, Florida, as father Steven Poust was fishing, having anchored the boat in St. Johns River near Mandarin Point. His children, 7-year-old Chase Poust and his little sister, 4-year-old Abigail Poust, swam near the boat.

In accordance with local regulations, Chase was not wearing a lifejacket while his younger sibling was. All of a sudden, what was meant to be a beautiful day spent with family turned into a disaster.

TRAGEDY STRIKES

Due to a powerful current, Abigail, who was at the back of the boat, let go of it. In response, her brother released himself from the boat, too, in an attempt to save his sister by grabbing her. Sadly, by then, the current had him in its hold as well. The 7-year-old recollected that moment:

“I felt really scared.”

The dad jumped out to save his kids and told his son to swim to shore. He let both of them know how much he loved them in case they didn't survive.

Heartbreakingly, he became severely exhausted and was simply unable to hold onto his daughter anymore, whom he initially grabbed onto to keep her safe.

A COURAGEOUS FEAT

Meanwhile, Chase used all his strength to paddle back to the seashore, which proved extremely challenging due to the current running against him. When asked about how he dealt with the weariness of swimming such a long distance, the son and sibling answered:

"That's why I floated on my back."

After about an hour, Chase managed to make it and ran to a neighbor's house, pleading for assistance. Florida Fish and Wildlife finally came to rescue the baby girl and her dad.

A DESPERATE SEARCH

At this point, Steven and Abigail had drifted over a mile away from the boat, according to the authorities, but they were still able to find them alive after an extensive search. Talking about his rescue, the father said:

“I screamed for help at the top of my lungs and waved my arms and sure enough someone heard us.”

Beyond the rescue team, which the dad was deeply thankful for, Steven said that God, as well as his incredible son, had saved them all from a possibly gruesome death.

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