In northern Saskatchewan, Canada, a woman is being celebrated as a hero after bravely risking her life to rescue a child from an icy river. The incident occurred when a young boy fell through the ice while playing, prompting his friend to rush to the Sucker River Community Store where Elaine Ratt was beginning her shift.
Ratt, a member of the Lac La Ronge Band of Indians, anticipated a typical workday until she saw the fear etched on the boy’s face. “The fear in [his] eyes scared me,” she recalled as she sprinted toward the river. Upon reaching the water’s edge, she called out to him to keep his head above water. However, as she edged closer, she heard the ice cracking beneath her feet.
Just as Ratt reached the boy, the ice gave way, plunging both of them into the frigid water. Despite the shock, Ratt managed to guide him to a solid patch of ice. Remembering safety advice, the boy rolled onto the bank without trying to stand up, but Ratt struggled due to her heavier weight; each attempt to pull herself out caused more ice to break away. Eventually, in a state of shock, she too escaped.
“I carried him, with all my soaking clothes and his soaking clothes. It was more of a reflex,” Ratt explained. “I’d rather risk my life than see something worse happen to him.”
First responders at the community store quickly transported the boy to the hospital, where he was treated for hypothermia and eventually stabilized. After changing clothes at home, Ratt returned to find emergency crews still on-site; her heroic actions were met with applause from those present, moving her to tears.