10-year-old Gavin Keeney from Oklahoma might seem like a regular boy to the world, but in reality, he has saved his mother’s life twice. He is no less than a hero to his mom because he bravely brought her out of life-threatening situations.
Life surprises us in many ways. Sometimes, we experience the most beautiful things that make us feel happy and content. At other times, life puts us in difficult situations that often become life-threatening if we don’t react appropriately.
The mother in today’s story was stuck in a challenging situation that could have cost her her life. It all began when she dove into the pool and suddenly lost control of her body. She almost drowned after having a sudden seizure.
THE MOTHER
Lori Keeney, from Oklahoma, lived with her 10-year-old son, Gavin Keeney. They stuck with each other through thick and thin, but Lori didn’t know that her son would save her from drowning in their pool one day.
On the morning of August 5, 2022, Lori and Gavin decided to have a little pool party. They jumped into the pool in their backyard while their dog watched them play. A few minutes later, Gavin got out of the pool and stood on the porch before he later heard some splashes.
When he looked toward the water, he saw his mother drowning. Without wasting another second, Gavin ran and jumped into the pool to save his mom. He understood why she was sinking and knew exactly what he had to do.
THE LOUD SPLASHES
Lori was sinking to the bottom of the pool because she had a sudden seizure. Her son knew about her condition since he had witnessed previous similar episodes. As soon as he jumped into the pool, he grabbed his mother and kept her face above the water level.
“One of my worst nightmares came to life this morning,” Lori said while sharing a CCTV footage of the pool area on Facebook. She told readers that she was never comfortable knowing people were watching her during a seizure. But she couldn’t stop herself from sharing the video clip.
In the minute-long footage, Gavin can be seen helping his mother stay afloat by bringing her near the ladder. Meanwhile, their dog sensed something was not right and alerted the neighbors by barking loudly.
“It scared me more than I’ve ever been scared,” Lori confessed while she couldn’t believe her 10-year-old boy jumped into the pool to save her. A few seconds later, Lori’s father, Stephen Lowe, appears in the security camera footage.
Lowe, Lori’s next-door neighbor, thought something was wrong when he heard the dog bark. He quickly pulled his daughter out and was surprised because Gavin didn’t scream for help. Lori felt her son was no less than a blessing for her. She said:
“He’s definitely my hero. But I really do feel like he’s my guardian angel, as well.”
In her Facebook post, Lori revealed that she only took in some water before her son came to save her. The incident didn’t harm her because of Gavin’s quick thinking. When an interviewer asked the boy how he felt, he responded:
“I was scared a little bit.”
To praise Gavin’s bravery and encourage him to save people’s lives, the Kingston Police Department gave him an award. However, this wasn’t something new for him. He had received a similar award from the firefighting department when he saved his mother’s life almost a year back.
The pool incident wasn’t the first time Gavin had saved his mother’s life. In May 2021, Lori choked on a chip and struggled to breathe on the kitchen floor in her house. As soon as Gavin saw her, he knew what he had to do.
The little boy performed the Heimlich maneuver to get the chip out of his mother’s airways, but he couldn’t do it. Instead of crying or panicking, Gavin called 911 while saying “I love you” to his mother. He was determined to save her.
Lori had choked on the chip because she had surgery a few months before the incident, which made it difficult for her to swallow whole foods. The doctors had told little Gavin what he had to do in case his mother choked on her food.
THE HERO
Apart from the Heimlich maneuver, the doctors had told Gavin to use pudding to dislodge the stuck food. He quickly grabbed some pudding and gave it to Lori, but the firefighters arrived two minutes later and performed the Heimlich maneuver to save her life. Lori said:
“Thank you, God, for putting this wonderful little human into my life.”
Lori was grateful for having Gavin as her son. She gave him the gift of life when he was born, but he returned it to her twice by saving her life. Lori had never imagined her 10-year-old would save her life so bravely.
Share this story with your friends and family to tell them about Gavin’s bravery and quick-thinking skills. They would be amazed to see how the little guy became a hero for his mother.