A young boy bravely swam for an hour to save his father and younger sister after they were swept away from their boat by a strong current.

It goes without saying that Steven Proust, father to seven-year-old Chase, and Abigail, four, is extremely proud of his son's heroic actions over Memorial Day weekend.

In an interview with WJXT, the family explained that on Friday, Chase and Abigail had been swimming within touching distance of their father's boat, which was anchored in the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida.

It was then when disaster struck and little Abigail lost her grip on the boat as she and her brother got caught in the current.

"The current was so strong that my sister - she usually hangs out at the back of the boat and she let go. So, I let go of the boat and grabbed her, and then, I was stuck," Chase told the news outlet.

"I felt really scared," he added.

Steven, who had been in the boat, jumped into the river to protect his little ones from the current. He then decided that Chase should swim to shore while he tried to bring Abigail back to safety as she was being carried away by the current while in a flotation device.

"I told them both I loved them because I wasn't sure what's going to happen. I tried to stick with her as long as I could," Steven told WJXT. "I wore myself out, and she drifted away from me."

As Chase made his way back to shore, he switched between floating on his back and doggie paddling. The one-mile swim back to land took an hour, he told the news station.

When he finally made it, he recalled running to a nearby home and knocking on their door in order to get help.

Fortunately, Florida Fish and Wildlife, along with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office were able to locate Steven and Abigail after searching for an hour.

Needless to say, the doting father felt emotional after the ordeal, telling the outlet: "We're here. By the grace of God, we're here. Little man… made it to shore and got help, and that's what saved our lives."

Featured image credit: Genevieve Vallee / Alamy

A young boy saved his mother from drowning while she suffered from a potentially fatal epileptic fit in the family’s backyard pool.

According to Good Morning America, Gavin Keeney, 10, was seen on footage from a home surveillance camera diving into the pool to help his drowning mother Lori Keeney.

The 44-year-old mother told the outlet that the two were having a "wonderful morning" when they had decided to go for a swim in their family pool.

"[Gavin] had just gotten out of the pool and I just went into a seizure," Lori, who has epilepsy and is prone to seizures, told GMA. "It scared me more than I've ever been scared."

Lori's son was on the back porch when he heard the water splash. He then looked over and saw his mother "sinking in the pool" which prompted him to leap in to save her life.

In the video footage, Gavin can be seen pulling his mom to the pool's edge, all the while keeping her head above water until his grandfather came to help.

"I was scared a little bit," the youngster said of the incident, while his mom described him as her "hero" and expressed that he is her "guardian angel".

In a celebration of Gavin's heroic act, the Kingston Police Department awarded him a "Saving a Life" plaque in front of his community, per KTEN News.

The outlet reported that this is the second time the young boy received the plaque, as he previously helped prevent his mom from choking.

Kasey Cox, the chief of the department, called Gavin a hero in his speech and said: "He has such great compassion for humankind and his friends and family, and I really hope that maybe this is a future for him."

Lori mentioned that her son often helps her with her seizures, and expressed proudness in seeing him get recognition in their town.

"[A] truly amazing thing to see, and I don't normally get to see him in action and what he gets to do after I'm having a seizure," she said. "This is the first time I actually got to see it just because of security cameras ... so much pride in him... at the same time, it was heartbreaking to watch."

Cox also spoke with People about the award and said that it was important to show everyone, including Gavin himself, that "he was selfless and brave".

"Due to his quick actions, he saved a life," he said, adding: "Due to Gavin's quick actions, his mother didn't have to go to the hospital and swallowed no water. He is a hero. That's the bottom line. "

Well done, Gavin! The world is a better place thanks to amazing people like you!

Featured image credit: Incamerastock / Alamy

A 16-year-old has died after selflessly jumping into the ocean to save four younger children who were stuck in an undercurrent.

Bryce Brooks, from Atlanta, was in Pensacola, Florida, with relatives for spring break when he and an older family member died saving four children who were stuck in the ocean on April 6.

The children, whose ages are unknown, had gotten into difficulty in a part of the Perdido Key where no lifeguards were stationed, according to reports from WEAR.

The teenager had dived in to help but went under, and family friend Charles Johnson II went to help the high schooler but also ended up dying, according to Brooks' father Shivy Brooks.

He said during a press conference streamed by Fox 5 Atlanta: "The selflessness that it takes for someone to make such a sacrifice, to do so at only the age of 16, we’re so proud as parents how our son has shown up in this moment.

"Let it be amplified that Atlanta developed kids that would give up their life for others that they didn’t even know."

Other adults on the beach were able to get Brooks and Johnson out of the water and onto the shore, where life-saving measures were administered.

The pair were then airlifted to hospital but were both tragically pronounced dead, with Brooks having died from cardiac arrest, his father said.

Despite his parents and younger brother's grief, the family has expressed their pride that their eldest son would sacrifice his own life to save others.

His mother, Crystal Brooks, added: "He stepped into his manhood to save these children. That makes me proud. It doesn’t take away an ounce of pain, but it makes me proud of our son."

According to the Daily Mail's reports, Brooks was one of three teenagers who rushed to help the children as three others ran to inform adults about the emergency.

The other two teenagers, who have not been named, managed to make it out of the water while onlookers searched for Brooks and Johnson, who was a father of three.

Despite there being yellow flags warning of moderate currents, there were no lifeguards present at that part of the beach at the time of the incident.

The honor roll student's father added at the press conference: "Being selfless, our son Bryce, while being pulled by the currents himself, literally called for help, not for himself, but he was calling for help for the little kids that he was looking out for.

"Bryce is a hero. He literally saved the lives of four kids at the expense of his own."

A GoFundMe was set up for the family and has amassed over $95,000 in donations at the time of writing.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Bryce Brooks and Charles Johnson III at this heartbreaking time.

Featured image credit: James Kirkikis / Alamy