Riley Ferguson was named the guardian angel of 15-month-old Reggie Hampton by his parents.
He saw 15-month-old Reggie Hampton fall into the canal water while walking his dogs along the canalized section of the Eyre and Calder Rivers in West Yorkshire, England. When Reggie ran out the back door, he was playing in the garden of the house. Riley said, “I heard this little kid screaming and waving his arms.”. It dawned on me that he was very small. To prevent the boy from falling into the water, I held him
I saw the kid’s feet dipping into the canal a few seconds later. I threw off my coat and ran after him. He had almost sunk to the bottom as I swam to him. “I’m with you, Riley.” Riley’s mom, Becca, called him a “guardian angel” on Facebook. She posted a picture of Riley and Reggie and wrote:Reggie will see this photo when we print it, frame it, and hang it… As a result, he knows who his angel is. There will always be a hero in Reggie’s life… Riley, you are forever in our debt.”
The parents of Riley, Michael and Amy, expressed their pride in their brave son.”We are stunned, and we are extremely proud of him. As our son was not strong enough to pull the child out of the canal, he held the baby above the water for a while, so others could rescue him”.Tom Gordon urged the mayor to recognize Riley’s brave and selfless actions.Gordon said: “We are very fortunate to have Riley in our city. “He is a hero and deserves recognition as such.”
There is a campaign to award Riley the Pride of Britain award. Riley’s parents set up a Go Fund Me page to raise money, but Riley won’t accept it – he will donate it to the NHS (UK Health Service).
