12-Year-Old Girl With Down Syndrome Rescues Sister from Drowning

A stock photo of a swimming pool. (Pixabay)

Carin Richardson, a 12-year-old girl with Down syndrome from Michigan, was called a hero after she saved her younger sister from drowning in a pool.

Her sister, 3-year-old Jac'Lynn, slipped and fell into the pool without anyone noticing.

And that’s when Carin grabbed a pair of swim goggles and dove in the pool to grab her sister.

The mother, Tomarra Richardson, explained what had happened to ABC12.

“Without panic or fear, Carin grabbed her goggles, got in the water and pulled her sister out of the pool and into the house,” she said. “She was our hero, she saved her sister’s life.”

Krystal Bishop, the eldest sister, called 911

Describing the girl’s bravery, she said, “Carin definitely reacted really fast. I mean, she wasn’t really scared at all.”

Richardson her daughter’s Down syndrome didn’t get in the way: “People with Down’s, I mean, they’re not always the fastest reactors.”

“She is our hero, and Jac'Lynn is our little miracle baby,” she also said.

When Carin was interviewed by ABC, she was asked if she was scared, to which she simply repled, “No.”

As parents, they “have always been very proud of Carin,” Richardson told Yahoo News. “And words cannot express my gratitude to her for quickly moving to save her sister.”

“She was very worried when I came home from the hospital without Jac'Lynn and quickly came to me and said, ‘Mom, where is Jac?’” Tomarra continued. “At that point I explained to her that her sister was doing really good, but the doctors wanted to keep an eye on her.”

The two were reunited after Jac'Lynn went to the hospital.

“Jac’Lynn is doing very well,” Richardson was quoted as saying by Yahoo. “She has already been back out to the pool. And Carin smiles proudly when being told what an amazing job she did. Through this story I hope that people realize that even those with disabilities are capable of doing great things — including saving a life. Carin tells us that she would do it again if ever needed.”

‘Life Worth Living’

Frank Stephens, who has Down syndrome, addressed Congress in 2017. “Whatever you learn today, please remember this: I am a man with Down syndrome and my life is worth living,” Stephens said.

He continued: “I am not a research scientist; however, no one knows more about life with Down syndrome than I do.”

In the speech to U.S. officials, he stated that “sadly, across the world, a notion is being sold that maybe we don’t need research concerning Down syndrome. Some people say prenatal screens will identify Down syndrome in the womb and those pregnancies will just be terminated.”

“The people pushing this particular final solution are saying that people like me should not exist,” he said. “That view is deeply prejudiced by an outdated idea of life with—of life with Down syndrome. Seriously, I have a great life.”

Later, he argues that unborn babies who have Down syndrome shouldn’t be aborted and should be given a chance.

“I don’t feel I should have to justify my existence, but to those who question the value of people with Down syndrome.”