On July 26, 2020, Jamey Ruth Klassen was spending a quiet afternoon at the beach in Collingwood, Ontario, when frantic cries for help suddenly rang out across Georgian Bay.
Not far from shore, 40-year-old Christopher Robertson was clinging desperately to his overturned kayak as it filled with water and began to sink. Without hesitation, Jamey — a 16-year-old high school student from Guelph — dove into the frigid bay and began the exhausting 600-foot swim toward him.
By the time she arrived, Christopher had already slipped beneath the surface.
Where most people would have panicked, Jamey took a deep breath and plunged 12 feet down into the murky water. At the bottom, she found his unconscious body, wrapped her arms around him, and fought her way back to the surface.
Christopher was limp and not breathing. But Jamey refused to give up. She propped his head on her shoulder to keep his face above water, hooked one arm around his chest, and began the agonizing swim back to shore. Every muscle burned with fatigue, yet she pressed on. When her strength was nearly gone, she cried out for help.
A man on a paddleboard heard her calls and rushed over. Together, they managed to pull Christopher onto the board and get him to safety. Only after ensuring that he was in good hands did Jamey swim back to shore herself.
Thanks to her courage and determination, Christopher was revived and went on to make a full recovery. For her extraordinary bravery, Jamey Ruth Klassen was awarded the Carnegie Medal — North America’s highest honor for civilian heroism.
When asked about that day, Jamey simply said, “I just did what anyone would do.” But that’s not true. Most of us would have stood frozen in fear. Jamey chose instead to dive headfirst into danger to save a complete stranger’s life.
Sometimes heroes don’t wear capes. Sometimes they’re 16-year-old students who simply refuse to let someone die on their watch.
Source: carnegiehero.org; ctvnews.ca