A day at the beach is one of the most fun ways to have a good time for people of all ages. Proving just that was the Fitz-Gerald family, who were having a great day at the Marina Dunes beach near Monterrey, California.
Flickr/Sagie
At some point, Connor Fitz-Gerald, just 11-years-old at the time, decided to take a break from the water and play in the sand instead. Nearby and unbeknownst to him was a five-year-old girl named Alyssa Bostic, who too was busy playing, digging a big sand-cave.
Connor eventually wandered to the spot where Alyssa was playing, only to find a lone bag without anyone to claim it. So he simply decided to take the bag and see if he could find the rightful owner.
But as Connor started digging-out the partially buried bag, he noticed something else that was buried underneath the sand. Unfortunately, no one had noticed that while Alyssa was digging her big cave, the sand walls had collapsed burying her alive.
Flickr/Lee Simpson
In this moment which could have induced panic for any human being, especially a child, Connor decided to stay calm and continue to quickly pull out Alyssa from under the sand. He noticed her face was covered in sand and that she was unconscious.
Connor started performing CPR, something that he had only seen on TV shows, with the hopes that it would get Alyssa to start breathing again.
Thankfully, Alyssa and Connor’s parents found the two kids shortly after and immediately called 911 for help. By the time the paramedics arrived, Alyssa had been unconscious for several minutes, but they were still able to revive her and save her life.
The two most common threats that we are all familiar with while spending a day at the beach are rip tides and sun burns. But rarely does anyone look at sand and think – danger!
Today, this incident is a distant memory for Alyssa who is as happy and healthy as she can be, and for Connor his bravery has earned him a well deserved National Youth Hero Award.
Here is Connor himself recalling how he saved Alyssa’s life that day!
This story is a chilling reminder that being outside the water doesn’t necessarily mean out of danger when at the beach. Thanks to a very brave 11-year-old, we all now have a whole new meaning for buried treasure and a little girl has her whole life to look forward to!
