Every Second Counts

Leaving work late one evening, Lizzy decided that she would take the back way home, avoiding the potential perils of downtown traffic. She typically didn't like to travel those roads on rainy days, they were rough and curvy, and as the sun set, made it difficult to see the lines. But after the kind of day she'd had, she couldn't bear the thought of dealing with other drivers.

So, she made a right turn off the main road onto the loosely graveled path that crossed over old mill town lake and forked into the Wabash River. The bridge was narrow and long and sat at the highest peak of the bank.

Since she was a young girl, she'd hold her breath as she crossed over, just in case, and as an adult, she would smile as she continued the tradition.

As she approached the bridge, she noticed a small dark figure standing on the wrong side of the rail. Without thinking she got out of her car in the pouring rain and made her way to what she now saw, was a small child. He was so little, couldn't be older than 8, soaking from the rain and completely covered in mud.

"Hey," she hollered, "what are you doing up there?" The wind blew fiercely, and the startled child moved closer to the edge. " No, no, wait stop! Hang on honey, just wait a minute." Nervously she continued to call to the boy, trying to encourage him to come to her.

"Come on baby, look at me. Hey, listen to me, please, just hold on a minute!' Her voice trembled as they fell from her lips, "hey buddy, come here, let me help you, please!" The boy refused to acknowledge her pleas, staring coldly at the rushing water below him.

Forgoing her own safety, she extended her body over the railing, stretching her arms out as far as she could to grab the young boy's arm. All she could envision, was her own son standing in his shoes, dangling just on the edge of that old bridge.

She choked back tears as their eyes met, the darkness in his, shook her to her core. What could have happened to this small child for him to believe that the only answer for him lay at the bottom of this rapidly changing, murky river?

"Hey baby,” she called tenderly pleading, his eyes scanned her face quickly for hope, “that's right, sweetie, just look at me." She begged him as she clung to his weak, fragile wrists. "Can you move over here with me sweetheart? Just lean this way and I can help you over the rail and we can figure it all out together in my car.”

With that, fear filled his eyes and he jerked his arms away, stumbling towards the edge of the bank. Before he could tumble over, Lizzy threw herself entirely over the guard-rail, cradling him safely in her arms. Her tears fell warm onto his cheek and in her embrace, he began to cry.

"It all happened so fast," she told the officer. But it wasn't until later that she learned that the little boy had been reported as missing over a week ago.

That split second decision to go the back way saved his life, and in less than a minute, forever changed hers.