Eivind Ertesvag 
15-year-old Ryley Ferguson from England was out walking his dogs along a canal when he spotted a little boy alone on the other side of the water. Suddenly, the small child fell into the icy water.
Without a second thought, Ryley jumped into the canal and swam to the spot where the boy had fallen in.
He quickly reached the boy and swam back toward the shore. However, the cold water caused Ryley to cramp up. He soon lost strength and was unable to lift the little boy back onto land. Ryley called out for help, and shortly after, two men came to his rescue. They pulled the baby from Ryley’s arms and then helped the 15-year-old out of the frigid water.
The Nightmare of Every Parent
At the same time, the little boy’s mother realized that her baby was suddenly missing. Rebecca Hampton, 33, was out with her 15-month-old son, Reggie. She became distracted and was inattentive for just two minutes, thinking Reggie was safely sitting in his stroller. But when she turned around, the boy was gone.
Rebecca panicked and called out for Reggie, but there was no sign of him anywhere. She began running around, and soon found her son soaking wet by the canal, in the arms of 15-year-old Ryley.
At the Right Place at the Right Time
Ryley later recounted that he remained completely calm during the rescue. But the water was freezing, and he experienced heart palpitations and cramps. Still, all he could think about was saving the boy.
The 15-year-old became the hero of the day. Little Reggie started crying out of fright as he was lifted from the canal. However, Ryley held him in his arms as soon as he got out of the water, and the crying subsided.
Rebecca could not thank Ryley enough for saving her son’s life. Had Ryley not been walking his dogs along the canal at that moment, it is likely that no one would have noticed that little Reggie had fallen into the water.
The two families have become good friends since the incident, and Ryley loves babysitting for Reggie.
