A brave schoolgirl is being hailed a heroine after she saved the lives of TWO little girls while on a family holiday in Thailand.
Nine-year-old Lakeisha Saynam Nealon courageously swam to the rescue of the girls after spotting them in difficulty in the water – the incidents occurring just days apart.
She used her confidence in the water to pull both girls to safety after one lost her armbands and the other stumbled over a barrier into the pool.
Lakeisha, a confident swimmer, now wants other girls to learn to swim after it helped her during the holiday heroics.
She said: “The first girl was dragging me down because she was scared and I managed to get her up and the second girl was scratching and kicking because she did not know what was going on.
“I managed to get her to the barrier.
“I was a bit scared at first but I know I am a good swimmer.
“It is really important for children to learn to swim and I want to go on to get my lifesavers.
“I really enjoy swimming.”
The first girl was seen to be struggling by Lakeisha on July 19, who had arrived on holiday just the day before, after losing her armbands.
After some quick-thinking, she sped across the water to grab the young girl, thought to be around four years old, and drag her to the side of the pool.
The girl’s father praised Lakeisha, from Bolton, Lancs., and said that she had saved his little girl’s life.
Just a few days later, the keen swimmer went to the rescue of another little girl when the family moved on from their hotel to see relatives.
Her father Ian, 48, saw a young girl stumble over the barrier by the pool at the hotel, but by the time he had dived in, his daughter had reached her and managed to pull her to safety.
Thanks to her quick thinking, both girls are fine.
After her bravery the youngster was treated by her family to a visit to the fairground.
Father Ian said: “We are so proud of her.
“She did not panic and stayed calm throughout even when she was being dragged under.
“The girl who lost her armbands went down like a lead balloon and Lakeisha went down to get her.
“Her father, who was Norwegian, came to me afterwards and said she was brilliant – she saved his daughter’s life.
“Lakeisha was amazing. She is a very confident swimmer – she will either go on to be a lifeguard or a swimmer. We cannot get her out of the water.”
Grandmother Maureen Nealon said: “We are tremendously proud of her achievements and she deserves recognition.
“To save two children is unbelievable.”
