A YOUNG Scot who raised thousands of pounds for the hospital that treated his little brother has saved the boy’s life for real after a swimming pool accident.
Jack Henderson, eight, made headlines by raising over £50,000 for the Sick Kids in Edinburgh with his charity Jack Draws Anything.
As a thank-you for treating his four-year-old brother, Noah, Jack drew pictures in return for a donation and included Alex Salmond among his satisfied customers.
Now Jack has emerged as a different kind of hero after jumping into a swimming pool and literally saving the life of Noah, who was stuck face-down in a swimming pool.
The drama unfolded in Marin, California, to where the Henderson recently family moved from their home in Cockenzie, East Lothian.
Jack and Noah, along with the middle brother, Toby, five, were spending time with their grandparents at a hotel swimming pool.
Little Noah was “overconfident” about his swimming ability and dived in headfirst while no-one was watching.
Despite having armbands on the youngster began to sink and was unable to hold his head above the water.
The boys’ father, Ed, writing on the charity website, revealed that Jack spotted the tragedy unfolding, ran to the pool, and jumped in.
He said: “Jack managed to get underneath Noah and hold him up towards the surface.
“Jack himself was under the water and doing his best to keep his brother out of danger.
“Noah clung onto Jack’s neck, hurting him, which made it harder for Jack to keep the wee man safe.”
Although Jack is being hailed as a “hero” online for his quick thinking actions, the eight-year-old said that he did not have much to think about other than saving his brother.
He said: “I didn’t really think. I just knew I had to save Noah.”
Jack launched his charity in 2011 after Noah was repeatedly admitted to the Sick Kids due to breathing problems, which often caused him to develop bronchiolitis and pneumonia.
Since he was three-months old, Noah had been admitted to the Sick Kids more than 20 times with breathing problems, often staying in for weeks and even spending many nights in the High Dependency Unit.
Jack’s charity work earned him several honours including a Pride of Britain Award.
He has recently had a book published about his story and with many of his pictures in three countries across the world. The book named after his charity can be found in the UK, Brazil and Korea.
