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8-y-o saves friend from drowning
At eight years old, Don-Christopher Barnes may not have changed all his baby teeth as yet, but he has already saved a life. Revered as a 'hero' by the Stella Maris School community and his entire family for his courageous deed of rescuing his friend from a swimming pool, the very poised and talkative student sat down with The Gleaner on Monday to retell his story.
It was the day after the category four Hurricane Dean passed south of the island. Don-Christopher and his best friend Akeem Williams, also eight years old, were busy cleaning leaves from the balcony of his house in Stony Hill, St. Andrew.
"I saw that the pool also needed cleaning, so I was going to try to take the leaves from the pool," he said. The very astute eight-year-old told The Gleaner that he went inside his house "just for a second".
At the bottom of the pool
"But then I heard Akeem's brother screaming his name and I came out and saw that he was lying face down at the bottom of the pool," said Don-Christopher.
"I was thinking what to do at first, but then I remembered his brother can't swim in the deep end either, so it was up to me."
At just three feet, eight inches, Don-Christopher said he did not panic as he dived into the five-foot deep pool and pulled his friend to safety.
"I dived in and brought him to the shallow end of the pool and then his father jumped in and took him out of the pool and gave him CPR," he said.
When asked if he wasn't just a little terrified at jumping in the deep end of a pool to save someone's life, he said: "What else should I do? He needed my help, so I dived in, saved his life and now he's OK."
Don-Christopher said he did think about calling an adult for help before he decided to rescue his friend, but didn't want to waste time. "If I had stopped to ask an adult, they would probably panic and it would take too long, so I thought if I did it myself, it would be quicker and easier," he explained.
He explained that his friend was actually unconscious and had turned blue - a sign that his body had become deprived of oxygen - when he was taken from the pool.
Now back in school
Young Akeem was later taken to the University Hospital of the West Indies where he was admitted for a week. "He is now back in school and doing quite well," said his father, Colin Williams. Mr. Williams was, however, quick to point out that it is always necessary for pool owners with small children to take extra precaution. "Safety in and around the pool is critical," he said. "There must be a capable and responsible adult present at all times when there are small children involved."
Don-Christopher, who has been swimming since he was just six months old, said he would like to become a lifeguard when he gets older. "I originally wanted to be a comedian, but now I think I want to save people, so I want to be a lifeguard and a comedian," he said. "I might entertain the kids in the pool while I am saving their lives," he said.
At eight years old, Don-Christopher Barnes may not have changed all his baby teeth as yet, but he has already saved a life. Revered as a 'hero' by the Stella Maris School community and his entire family for his courageous deed of rescuing his friend from a swimming pool, the very poised and talkative student sat down with The Gleaner on Monday to retell his story.
It was the day after the category four Hurricane Dean passed south of the island. Don-Christopher and his best friend Akeem Williams, also eight years old, were busy cleaning leaves from the balcony of his house in Stony Hill, St. Andrew.
"I saw that the pool also needed cleaning, so I was going to try to take the leaves from the pool," he said. The very astute eight-year-old told The Gleaner that he went inside his house "just for a second".
At the bottom of the pool
"But then I heard Akeem's brother screaming his name and I came out and saw that he was lying face down at the bottom of the pool," said Don-Christopher.
"I was thinking what to do at first, but then I remembered his brother can't swim in the deep end either, so it was up to me."
At just three feet, eight inches, Don-Christopher said he did not panic as he dived into the five-foot deep pool and pulled his friend to safety.
"I dived in and brought him to the shallow end of the pool and then his father jumped in and took him out of the pool and gave him CPR," he said.
When asked if he wasn't just a little terrified at jumping in the deep end of a pool to save someone's life, he said: "What else should I do? He needed my help, so I dived in, saved his life and now he's OK."
Don-Christopher said he did think about calling an adult for help before he decided to rescue his friend, but didn't want to waste time. "If I had stopped to ask an adult, they would probably panic and it would take too long, so I thought if I did it myself, it would be quicker and easier," he explained.
He explained that his friend was actually unconscious and had turned blue - a sign that his body had become deprived of oxygen - when he was taken from the pool.
Now back in school
Young Akeem was later taken to the University Hospital of the West Indies where he was admitted for a week. "He is now back in school and doing quite well," said his father, Colin Williams. Mr. Williams was, however, quick to point out that it is always necessary for pool owners with small children to take extra precaution. "Safety in and around the pool is critical," he said. "There must be a capable and responsible adult present at all times when there are small children involved."
Don-Christopher, who has been swimming since he was just six months old, said he would like to become a lifeguard when he gets older. "I originally wanted to be a comedian, but now I think I want to save people, so I want to be a lifeguard and a comedian," he said. "I might entertain the kids in the pool while I am saving their lives," he said.
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