What happened next is difficult to imagine.***
Using every ounce of strength she had, the teenager pulled a fully grown man upward through the water.
Breaking the surface, she fought to keep him afloat.
Then came the hardest part.
Getting him back.
Holding Christopher with one arm, she swam toward shore with the other.
The effort pushed her close to exhaustion.
Still, she refused to let go.
As her strength began to fade, she called for help.
A nearby paddleboarder heard her cries and rushed over.
Together, they managed to bring Christopher back to shore.
There, responders and bystanders worked to revive him.
Against overwhelming odds, he survived.
A family did not lose a loved one that day.
Because one teenager refused to surrender to fear.
The extraordinary rescue would later earn Jamey Ruth Klassen the Carnegie Medal, one of North America’s most respected honors for civilian heroism.
Carnegie Hero Fund Commission plus one
