Two 9-year-old Michigan twins, Ava and Addison Apostolopoulos, and a maintenance worker, Cody Boyette, are being hailed as heroes after they managed to rescue a 4-year-old girl who was lying unresponsive at the bottom of a pool.
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According to the Wixom Police Department, the incident occurred on June 27. At the time, Ava and Addison were swimming at the Hillside Apartments pool while visiting their grandmother in Detroit.
At one point, however, the twin girls noticed that a young child, a 4-year-old girl, was underwater. She was not moving. Without hesitation, Ava jumped into the pool and managed to get the girl to the surface.
Boyette pulled the 4-year-old out of the pool and noticed she was not breathing and had blue lips. Then, he began rescue breathing on the girl and managed to get her to breathe again.
The 4-year-old was rushed to a local hospital and managed to survive. The WDP believes that, without the twin girls or Boyette being there, the 4-year-old would have perished.
Three Heroes Honored
During an emotional City of Wixom Council meeting held on July 22, Ava and Addison Apostolopoulos, alongside Cody Boyette, were honored with the Police Department Civilian Citation Award.
The WPD shared photos of the touching moment, where all three are presented with the award.
WXYZ talked with the girls and their father, Jason, who said that the girls were raised to take action in situations like this.
“We’re just all about helping,” Jason said. “We’re aware of our surroundings and taught them the same thing: if you see something, do something.”
Regarding the honor his daughters received, the proud father said that the gesture was “wonderful.”
“The city of Wixom really honored them, and that was wonderful, and they were really proud of that,” Jason added. “It’s really been a wonderful thing for them and our family.”
Meanwhile, Ava and Addison feel happy that the 4-year-old survived the dangerous incident.
“I am very happy she’s alive now, and I hope she’s having a good time. And I’m happy,” Ava said.
“Happy that we were in the right situation,” Addison added.