Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: April 18, 2002
• Invested on: December 09, 2002

On July 26, 2001, sixteen-year-old Christopher Brabant put his own life at risk to save a suicidal woman from drowning in the St. Lawrence River, at the Cornwall Harbour, in Ontario. Mr. Brabant was fishing with a friend when he observed the distraught woman jump from the end of the wharf into the fast-flowing waters which rapidly carried her downstream. Without hesitation, Mr. Brabant raced to the end of the pier and jumped in after her. Battling the strong current, he swam toward the victim, some 25 metres away. As he reached her side, he grabbed hold of the semiconscious woman and began towing her back to shore, struggling to keep her head above the water. Although exhausted, he managed to reach the rocky shoreline and stayed with her until help arrived.