A 10-year-old boy from Oklahoma is being hailed a hero after he saved his mom from drowning when she suffered a seizure in their backyard pool.
Security cameras captured the rescue, which happened after Gavin Keeney noticed his mom struggling in the water on Aug. 5 after he’d gotten out of the pool.
“I heard what was a lot of splashing and moving around,” he told local outlet KTEN. “I heard kind of yelling, but also drowning. So, then I looked and saw her seizing. And so I went and jumped in and got her back to the ladder.”
Gavin’s mom, Lori Keeney, told KAKE that she has seizures almost daily, and that Gavin often steps in to help. This, however, is the first time she’s been able to watch her son take care of her during a seizure.
“Truly amazing thing to see, and I don’t normally get to see him in action and what he gets to do after I’m having a seizure,” she said. “This is the first time I actually got to see it just because of security cameras … so much pride in him… at the same time, it was heartbreaking to watch.”
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The video shows Lori convulsing in the water as Gavin dives into the pool and cradles her to hold her head above the water. Lori’s father, who lives next door, quickly arrives and pulls his visibly distressed daughter into his arms.
Speaking to Storyful, Lori said never swims alone and said Gavin had just got out of the pool and was close by on a porch when the seizure began. “I was told later that he never asked for help. My dad, who lives next door, heard the dogs barking and he ran out and jumped in as Gavin held me on the ladder and kept my head above water,” she said.
“Gavin stepped back and you can see the moment he got to be a little boy again,” Lori continued. “My Dad then pulls us into a group hug. It was one of the scariest moments of my life.”
Gavin was lauded for his quick response and made an honorary member of the Enos/Cardinal Cove Volunteer Fire Department, KTEN reported.
He also received a Saving a Life plaque for his quick thinking. It’s the second plaque he’s received, after saving his mom’s life last year when she began choking on food.
“He’s been through so much with me and my health and he handles it with such grace and maturity,” Lori told Storyful. “Proud isn’t even enough of a word.”
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