Children may be young, vulnerable and innocent, but some kids can also be heroes. The stories of these nine child heroes will inspire you and brighten your day – if only by just a little bit. Get ready to feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and check out the stories for yourself below.
Number Nine: Aitzaz Hassan – 15 Years Old. Aitzaz was just walking into school one morning when he noticed a strange man. Suspecting him of being a suicide bomber, he jumped on the man and subsequently saved hundreds of children’s lives by sacrificing his own.
Number Eight: Tilly Smith – 10 Years Old. Tilly Smith saved over 100 people from a massive tsunami when she was vacationing with her family in Thailand. Having just learned about how to recognized the signs of a tsunami in school, she convinced her family and other tourists to escape to safety.
Number Seven: Tyler Moon – 7 Years Old. Tyler Moon was out driving a recreational vehicle with his dad when the vehicle turned over in the middle of the Australian bushland. Tyler crawled two kilometers back to his mom to get help for his dad, suffering nine broken ribs and a collapsed lung in the process. Fortunately, both Tyler and his father were saved.
Number Six: Iqbal Masih – 12 Years Old. Iqbal Masih’s family sold him into child slavery, but he was lucky enough to escape. Iqbal then made it his life mission to become an activist against child slavery, and he even snuck into factories to release children from their captors. Though he was eventually shot in the head, he helped more than 3,000 kids escape.
Number Five: Asma Ayyub Khan – 13 Years Old. Asma belonged to an orphanage in Mumbai when a massive flood struck. In an effort to save other children she considered to be her sisters and brothers, she helped to bring 40 other children stuck in the orphanage to safety. Amazingly, she didn’t even know how to swim.
Number Four: Tyler Doohan – 8 Years Old. Tyler and his family lived in a mobile home when Tyler realized that a fire was burning his home. He woke up six more family members and led them out of the trailer to safety. However, when he went back in to get his disabled grandfather, he never came back out. He died trying to carry his grandfather to safety.
Number Three: Alexis Goggins – 7 Years Old. Alexis Goggins’ mother was in an abusive relationship, and Alexis made the ultimate sacrifice to protect her mom. When her mother’s abusive boyfriend tried to shoot her, Alexis jumped in the way and was shot six times. Fortunately, both Alexis and her mother survived the attack, and her mother’s boyfriend was caught.
Number Two: Anaiah Rucker – 9 Years Old. Anaiah Rucker and her sister were walking on the street when Anaiah noticed a truck coming for them. Anaiah was able to push her sister out of the way before the truck struck her. Though she lost her leg, she insists that her act of bravery is just what sisters do.
Number One: Chloe Olson – 5 Years Old. Finally, 5-year-old Chloe Olson noticed her mom was choking on a potato chip. She was able to call 911 and thought she was speaking with her father when she told the operator that her mom was choking. An ambulance arrived just in time to save her mom while Chloe saved the day.