Everyday Heroes

I wanted to post this article from our local paper, The County Record. I am very proud of my little cousin, Brandon and his friend. A month or so ago, they helped save a little 2 year old boy from drowning on the Chipola River. These two boys are wonderful kids and I am so proud of both of them. I have had the privilege of watching Brandon grow up to become such a great, Godly young man. In my book these boys are both heroes.

Two local boys save toddler from near drowning at Look ‘N Tremble

Posted by Kelli Peacock Dunnin News
Thursday, September 8. 2011
Comments (0)
www.thecountyrecord.net

Two Blountstown teens have been hailed as heroes after an act of bravery on the Chipola River.
Chesten Goodman and Brandon Purvis, both juniors at Blountstown High School, were recently boating along the river when a near-tragedy unfolded right before them.

“We had taken the boat from Lamb Eddy to Look ‘N Tremble, just fishing and riding around,” says Chesten, adding they stopped along the bank at Look ‘N Tremble to hang out awhile. “We were just jumping in swimming and some tubers were coming down. We got on the edge because it’s so low. We were just watching them.”

That’s when Chesten and Brandon noticed a small boy about two years of age tubing with his mother.
“As they came down the rapids, it just kind of flipped them,” says Brandon.

Chesten recalls, “They both got knocked off and the mom floated down further.”
As for the toddler, he was no longer with his mother. “The baby was caught in the rapids,” says Brandon. “He fell in and came up gasping, then went back under.”
Chesten heard his mother yelling, “He can’t swim!”

Immediately, the boys dove in the water. Chesten swam in front of where he had last seen the baby in case he came forward and Brandon went to the exact spot where the child went down.
“About five seconds later, I found him and grabbed him,” says Brandon. “He was breathing really fast.”

The toddler appeared scared and shocked at what had occurred and his grateful mother just kept thanking the boys repeatedly. They parted ways, never getting each other’s names.
Regardless of who the family was, the boys are confident they were at that exact spot for a reason that day.

As Brandon says, “God had us there.”


I am so thankful that these two boys were there on the river that day. God did have them there. If not, this story could have turned out a lot differently. When Brandon first told me the story, he just brushed it off like it wasn't a big deal. He just did what anyone else would have done in that situation. Well, it is a big deal. And that's why I wanted to post today about these two remarkable young men.

**And to make Brandon happy, I will note that he is in fact taller than Chesten. Brandon is standing on a lower step, so he appears shorter. That was his take on the story, not that he was being hailed as a hero on the front page of the paper, but that people would think he was short. Haha. What goes on in teenage boys heads is a mystery!