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Courtesy of the Vento family
Xander Vento's family: "We in some way hope our son's life serves as an inspiration."
The parents of Xander Vento, a little boy who was forced under the water while saving another child at a neighborhood pool in Fort Worth, Texas, earlier this week, say they are taking their son off life support.
Cris and Misty Vento released the following statement Thursday:
"We’ve made the extremely difficult decision to remove our precious son Xander from life support. We send heartfelt thanks to all of you who kept our family in your thoughts and prayers; we’re appreciative of your love and support.
We in some way hope our son’s life serves as an inspiration. He was the angel in the pool who sacrificed himself to save another. And now he continues to give as an organ donor. We were blessed to have such a kind and caring boy as Xander who set an example for all of us and even now he will be saving lives by giving of himself."
Xander, 4, held a struggling 3-year-old girl above the water, and after becoming exhausted, slipped below the water’s surface, the Associated Press reported. He was found at the bottom of the pool. After Xander was pulled from the water, rescuers did get a pulse from him, the Dallas Morning News reported, but he was unable to breathe on his own before they loaded him into a helicopter.
Xander was hospitalized at Cook Children’s Medical center, where he fell into a coma. He had been on life support since Monday.
Adults were present at the pool during the incident, including an off-duty nurse who helped rescue the children, according to the Dallas Morning News. It wasn’t clear where the adults were when the incident happened.
The 3-year-old girl, whose name has not been released, apparently swallowed water but never lost consciousness.
A fund has been established in Xander's name to help the family with medical expenses. Anyone wishing to contribute can do so online at https://www.wepay.com/donations/145080.
NBC News
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Leave a Comment:
Now with that said....there is no way in hell thata 3 year old child should be in the pool with only another child 1 year older.... a parent shuold be no more than arms length at all times if they are not in the pool itself...
I am so tired of all of these senseless deaths...it make no sense to me at all...
THe life of my child should be in my hands not the hands of a child..
in our subdivision even whn there is a lif guard on duty i am at the pool side or my wife is there.
In most cases i am in the pool with them, because the life guard is onthe other side of the pool....
Senseless death....
Children that age should not be left without adult supervision, period. Unfortunately, I see it all the time, babies watching babies. My neighbors have five kids and every time they have another, the older ones are in charge of watching the babies outside in a stroller. I'm sorry if I offend anyone, but I would never allow a 6 or 7 year old to watch a baby, outside no less. Once they are able to walk, they are allowed to roam all over unattended. I don't care how well behaved your child is, there are things that can happen that they have no control over, such as kidnapping, dog or other animal attacks, etc. Too many bad things could happen and once it does, there is nothing you can do to change it. Better to watch your kids like a hawk and have a long, loving life with them than to let your guard down and watch everything you love be snatched away in the blink of an eye. Children are the most precious things a parent can ever have and should be treated that way.
This just doesn't happen. 4 year olds don't trade their life for others. Such a strange circumstance.
I have seen many good men fall in combat. I rank this little soldier among them. Salute!
It does not matter what the Dr.s, his parents, or anyone else did or did not do. All that matter is what HE did and gave..if we focus on that we will all be better people.
I know the Vento family. What the press doesn't know is that he has ALWAYS been afraid of getting water on his face. He was always very careful around the pool because of that. He was extraordinarily brave to go under for this precious girl. God bless you my little Hero.
Thank you! I am so disheartened when I read "arm-chair comments" from people who were not there at the scene. If these people only knew the relationship between this mother and her son, there would be no questions asked. I only hope that some of these people will open their hearts and have compassion rather than anger and hate. I think it is something that is sorely lacking from our society today.
Doesn't matter. My friends nephew was leery around the pool too. He drowned while they were doing other crap. They think he reached for a floating toy. We Feel compassion for the mother, but we also feel that she was stupid for not having her kids in life vests or floaties while at the pool.It is a sad situation, but if you are at a pool, and you can't watch your child, then you must bear some responsibility for what happens. No questions asked? Sorry, but I will question a mother who has her child at a pool without any safety devices. That does not mean that none of us feel sad and heartsick for her.We do But. Let this be a lesson to other parents.
I find it hard to believe that a child who doesn't want water on his face would go into the deep end and try to save another kid. I think the poor boy got pushed under by the panicking three year old. Poor kid.
this is no circumstance this is straight neglect on the part of the boys parents or whomever they left in charge of the pool...
those men and women chose to put themselves in harms way ....this child had no choice in the matter....
It is clear you do not understand bravery, courage, integrity, and sacrifice. Yes he had a choice and that is what makes him a hero, he put someone else above himself, BY CHOICE. Not having a choice just makes you a victim he was no victim. But since it had to be explained to you, I am sure you still do not get it. Here is another that slipped by you. HONOR! The little boy had it with out even knowing what it is-honor is like that. Try joining up and being a soldier-you may learn that one, or not.
Freedom is NOT an entitlement.
Been a soldier/officer in the Nuclear/biological/Chemical warfare group...so know who you are talking to before you open your mouth.....
He did not have a choice, the adults forced this act of bravery upon him....
Ignorance is bliss...stat blissful....
enough said about the adults...more about the amazing little man who saved a life and will save even more through his on going gift of organ donation. God Bless him and the other child he saved and yes, the parents of all who now have to live the rest of their lives with this. RIP today you are in paradise a hero.
so this happened Monday and they are taking the docs word for it and pulling the plug? seriously? no second opinion? no hospital transfer? thats it? for gods sake hes only 4, they could have at least waited a whole week
Rest in peace blessed child...I know of a certain 3 year old girl who will never forget you. Keep the Lord company for us, and fill His day with your laughter.
Hero is a word that is tossed around so frequently any more it has lost meaning. This youngster is the true definition of the word. My heart breaks for his family. God bless you all. May your sacrifice and that of your son be rewarded.
What a brave, heroic little boy! Hopefully his actions serve as inspiration for us all. Such a tragedy that he had to pay the ultimate price for his heroism. My sincere condolences go out to his family and friends.
The little girl may have tripped and fallen it, but if that is the case, she should have been wearing a life vest. The adult who should have been supervising the girl is the person who caused this tragedy. This little boy who jumped in to save her was acting selflessly. What an inspiration! I feel so bad for his parents. Although he probably knew how to swim, holding up a struggling toddler was just too much for him. One thing to point out is that parents should not expect their children to call out for help because kids in a pool or lake make a lot of noise, and you can't hear the cries of one child over that racket. You have to keep your eyes on them at all times.
RIP little dude you should be getting metal and this was totaly 100% preventable if people would just pay attention to the little ones.
Based on the photograph, the chairs and lounges appeared to be set far back from the pool; too far for an adult, who was supposed to be keeping watch on his or her childen in the pool, to be sitting. Even if they could see the child well enough, the distance could mean the difference between life and death. Small children, even those who can swim well enough, need a parent or an adult to be nearby to watch them. The article also stated that they girl he saved was okay despite swallowing water. I'm sure the writer meant to say, inhaled water, because last I heard, just swallowing water was not going to drown you. Somehow the 4 year old managed to hold a 3 year old above water, to keep her head above water, long enough for him to drown. That tells me that nobody was watching the childen and likely, there was no lifeguard.
exactly my point....
I wouldn't allow my three year old in the pool without myself also being in the pool...sitting on a lounge chair and watching just doesn't seem like enough to me.
I am very sorry and want to express my condolences to everyone who has suffered because of something so pervasive yet ignored-kids drowning. I hear about the stories in practice but actually, learned the most from my father. He was an NYPD officer who had to see all the tragedies when you mix kids with water. We talked about that extensively when we were househunting and he finally let on how the one of the worst things police had to do is pulling dead kids out of a pool, esp since it is preventable even though it is true-you turn your back for a second and kids get into trouble. We learned to swim early on and, in fact, were encouraged to get really good at it. HOWEVER, my parents used every possible "method" available to protect us, starting with WATCHING US LIKE HAWKS...physical barricades into the pool...when we became too rambunctious, or even just loud, that was it for the day...when we went househunting, my father talked us out of a number of houses that had IGP (we HAD planned on having kids)...pool alarm...as an animal rescuer who does home inspections, I am shocked at how lousy people protect their pools. I don't get it-why are you arguing against a pool alarm for this puppy, you have kids and an IGP two feet from the sliding glass door (so "fenced" means nothing). Ironically, one of the houses he nixed was exactly the same type as one of our neighbors bought. We all lived in a tight community in Brooklyn, AGP is all that would fit, all of us watched out for each other, not just the parents but also the older kids (although they never relied on us-we were just extra eyes)...our neighbors moved to the burbs, house had an IGP, within a month one of the little kids we watched out for drowned. The zoning laws require fencing but if a door from the house opens into the pool area, well, this is an accident waiting to happen. As for the suit against the pool that Jessica (I am so sorry for the agony and I pray for your nephew), I d/k how that will pan out. As you described it, yes, the "damages" will be expensive. However, there are two main parts to a suit-fault and damages and fault here will be a problem. In NY, they use "bifurcated" trials (watch "A Civil Action" with John Travolta in a true story-LOVE the book). He opens with statements that his wheeling in a guy in a wheelchair and presenting things like "a day in the life" is like gold to sway juries who might be on the fence on the fault issue. Well, many jurisdictions don't allow that-first we do part one, see if there is fault, then move onto part 2-how much to award. There are also issues like "attractive nuisances" "Assumption of risk", etc. With tort reform, I believe many other areas do or are planning to do the same. Maybe her brother and wife are hoping the place will settle out of court but ins companies are fighting a lot more than they used to.
A true hero!
I am sorry it is not enough concerning the adults....that's part of the problem toomany adults taken things for granted...
Adults lost my 5 year old nephew for 3 hours the other day because they put the wrong tag on his back pack and the bus driver let him off at the wrong stop.....
Parents were not contacted for several hours and GOD and his angels stepped in to bring two little girls a couple years older than him and took him to a responsible adults home where he was able to get in touch with his parents....
we owe this woman Sabrina Walker a pricelss reward fo what she and the little girls did for my nephew and she will not only be blessed but rewarded by me and our family....
Heros,
They come in all shapes, sizes and colors and ages. I am thankful for them all.
RIP little Buddy.
Rest in Peace little guy, so sad to lose a real hero so early in life, Your actions show what your life would have been like. Our prayers will be with your family at this time of their great sorrow.
There is nothing to say just God Bless this family, BUT watch your kids (especially at the pool ).
Don't ever tell me there is a god when @!$%# like this happens. Man invented god. In my opinion this young boy is better than the god we invented.
You cannot believe in God and science simultaneously, without lying to yourself.
Humans invented swimming pools. And admit it. This boy is better than YOU!
All altruistic people get eliminated and the selfish ones thrive. That is the sad law of nature.
Not exactly true. Some people have been shot in combat, declared dead, made it back, tried to share their new found experiences and still discarded and ignored by the selfish, ignorant ones. Notice how selfishness and ignorance goes hand and hand? I have just really noticed that the past 31/2 years.
there have been too many kids killed here in georgia this summer whether at the pool or on the lake. two got run over by a speeding seadoo, the other two got thrown from the boat when a speeding boat slammed ito te pantoon boat...
all at the hands of irresponsible adults...
You are a hero little man...RIP
This little boy is a HERO. All of us should appriciate the lesson he has so selflessly taught us. RIP Xander.
Yes
a four year should not have to do an adults job....sad very sad
rest in peace Xander...
Sometimes it takes a 4 year old to remind us what our job is!