José Brito was already a hero in his son Bryan’s eyes when he found himself saving a life. Now, he’s one to the rest of the world!
In December, the father and son were strolling along the Tagus river in Lisbon, Portugal, when Jos̩ saw an elderly man floating face down in the water Рand jumped right in!
He had noticed about a dozen onlookers near the drowning man, but when none of them moved to help, he sprang into action himself!
“Some said I shouldn’t do anything, that it would be better to wait for the ‘bombeiros’ (firefighter rescue service) but I couldn’t,” the 37-year-old said. “No one of that age could survive for long… I did what I had to do.”
Within seconds, José reached the 68-year-old stranger, turned him over, and began pulling him back to dry land, where others waited to help.
Once they had the man out of the water, José began performing CPR and resuscitated him before medics arrived. Thanks to his quick actions, the man is expected to make a full recovery!
A video of the rescue has since gone viral, with people around the world hailing José as a hero. He even received a call from Portugal’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, thanking him for his bravery! We’re sure it’s only a matter of time before the man he saved thanks him too.
As for Bryan? This outcome only reaffirms what he knew all along: José is “the best father in the world.”
Watch the rescue unfold in the video below, and share this story to spread appreciation for the amazing everyday hero.
This happened on Saturday in Lisbon, Portugal 🇵🇹
– Munir A Hussein (@Munir566) December 15, 2020
South African man Jose Brito was walking with his son, when he saw an elderly man was drowning, He jumped into Tagus river without hesitation got the man out of the water and administered CPR and saved his life pic.twitter.com/aJeFZtratl
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