Aisha Nozari
10-year-old twins Christian and Bridon from Alabama helped save their dad from drowning by copying CPR moves they’d seen in Hook and The Sandlot.
On 14 June, the two boys were hanging out in their pool with their 11-year-old neighbour Sam Ebert and their dad, 46-year-old Brad Hassig, who was performing breathing exercises underwater to try and relax.
However, shortly after submerging himself, Brad lost consciousness – and his twin sons noticed their dad slumped over beneath the water.
Sam strapped on his goggles and dove underwater to get a look at Brad, who was ‘shaking and turning blue’, according to Today.
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With the help of Christian and Bridon – who each grabbed one of their dad’s shoulders – Sam was able to drag Brad over to the pool’s stairs.
Bridon, who has no emergency training, remembered the mouth-to-mouth he’d seen on screen in the movies and started trying to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on his dad.
Meanwhile, Sam was able to flag down a car driving down the street and get the driver to call 911.
Bridon mimicked the moves he’d seen on screen until an ambulance showed up.
One of the family’s neighbours heard the commotion and ran over to the home where he dragged Brad’s body from the pool steps onto the deck.
Brad told Today: "I'm so proud of my boys. I tell them, 'Remember you guys are heroes' and I will be grateful to them forever.”
The doting dad, who was diagnosed with hypoxia (low oxygen in the organs and tissue), pulmonary edema (caused by fluid buildup in the lungs) and shortness of breath at the hospital, added: “And Sam is such a kind and gentle kid. It's a bond now."
When Brad first regained consciousness, he was coughing up foam, blood, and water.
He found Christian by his side and said his son was begging: “Daddy come back. You have to be OK."
Brad spent 24 hours in the hospital and continues to struggle to catch his breath, although he told the outlet that he’d recently been able to walk the family dog for the first time since the incident.
He shared: "I had a follow-up appointment yesterday and my EKG and blood pressure was normal.”
Brad added: “My boys saved my life and it's hard because you put them in that position. It's confirmation that God is always with you.”
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