A 13-year-old boy in Rochester, Minn., is being lauded for his quick reaction to another child drowning with security footage capturing the entire rescue.
Cody Runyon said he was swimming in the community pool when he noticed another child at the bottom of the pool.
“I went underwater, and all of a sudden, I see him just laying on the ground just sitting down in five feet, just passed out,” he said.
“I grabbed him like that around the waist, and then his head was over my shoulder and I started carrying him.”
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Runyon is seen on video diving into the water, then pulling the child above water and attempting to get him to the side of the pool.
Another boy then joins him to help.
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Once they made it to the side of the pool, they were assisted, by Desiree Pasko who began performing CPR after the boy was out of the pool.
“Adrenaline was so surreal at the time,” Pasko said. “I pulled him out and initiated CPR … I could hear a small gurgle and his cheeks got pink. When his cheeks turned pink, I gave one more breath, I did two more big pumps, and then I tipped him over just praying that he would vomit and he did.
“I started screaming, ‘He’s alive!'”
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Paramedics later arrived and continued to treat the boy.
Both Pasko and Runyon said they’re just happy to have helped the boy.
“Watching a child go from totally blue, to a little tiny bit of pink is a rewarding feeling,” Pasko said, adding that Runyon was the coolest kid. “He is… he’s the hero.”
NBC affiliate KTTC reported the child is recovering and is expected to be OK.
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