While the world may not have a Superman, Batman, or Ironman, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any real-life heroes. The most powerful thing anyone can do is decide to do the right thing.
Day-in and day-out, you can always count on someone–be it a friend, family member, or a random stranger–to do the right thing and lend a much-needed hand.
Catherine Ritchie, a 90-year-old woman, really needed a hand when her house caught on fire.
On a late August night, the kind grandma was preparing to go to bed in her quiet home in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Her normal nightly routine suddenly turned into a hellish nightmare.
Catherine desperately tried to smother the flames, but they only spread.
While she did contact emergency services with her call button, the room was quickly filling with smoke. Catherine could not see and it became difficult to escape. Soon she became disoriented and all hope seemed to be lost.
Meanwhile, four teenagers out for a walk would soon find themselves in a heart-pumping emergency situation.
Usually, when teens hang out, they go to the mall or the movies, but they don’t expect to find themselves in such a dangerous situation. Wyatt Hall, Dylan Wick, and brothers Nick and Seth Bird, ages 14 to 17 respectively, noticed the strange smell of smoke while casually walking in the neighborhood.
When they realized a house had caught fire, and that no adults were around, they knew they had to do something.
None of them knew if Catherine was in there, and as a matter of fact, only one of the boys personally knew Catherine.
In spite of the dangers, the boys manned up and sprang into action.
In a well-coordinated rescue straight out of a network emergency drama, two of the boys went to the house to break in, one called 911, and another went over to a neighbor’s to grab an ax and recruit more help.
Nick, who was only 14 at the time, kicked the door down and found Catherine in the hallway by her bedroom and carried her in his arms.
Catherine’s daughter, Missy Nichols, expressed her endless gratitude for the boys’ actions in a Facebook post.
“Thank you for your selfless acts of heroism and courage,” Missy wrote in thanks. Thank you for not allowing this to be the tragic end to our mother’s amazing life.”
Suffice to say, Catherine’s large family and grandkids are also happy to still have their beloved matriarch. As for the boys, their courageous actions have earned the collective admiration and love of the online community.
Hopefully, this incredibly heroic act can not only bring tears of joy to people but hopefully inspire them to do something kind in turn. Even though it might not be the same as rescuing a senior citizen from a burning fire, any act of selflessness is profound in its own right.
Be sure to watch the video below to see more on this incredible story!
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