As 2020 draws to a close, the Salmon Arm Observer is looking back at some of the stories that reflect the positive work, activities and accomplishments that occurred throughout this challenging year.
Seven-year-old Cody Krabbendam had just begun swimming lessons but was already being recognized for selfless bravery in the water.
On Saturday, July 11, Cody was with his family and friends at Sicamous’ Beach Park on Shuswap Lake. At around 11 a.m., Cody was on one of the docks floating in the park’s flooded swim area when he saw another boy who had jumped from the dock without a lifejacket get caught up in a current. The other boy, a 10 year old, began to panic and call for help, so Cody, who was wearing a lifejacket, leapt into the water to rescue him.
“He didn’t think, ‘Oh, I have a lifejacket on, I can save him, he just jumped in because that’s what people do,” said Cody’s mother Kim Krabbendam. “Had he not been wearing a life-jacket, it probably would have been a different story.”
https://www.facebook.com/kim.krabbendam/posts/10157877806987600
Kim said her family, who live in Ranchero, and the family of the other boy talked and hugged afterward, though she didn’t get their names.
Since the rescue, the word “hero” has come up around the Krabbendam household, though Kim said Cody’s embarrassed when other people bring it up.
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“We’re so proud of him,” said Kim. “He’s normally a pretty rambunctious child, so it was very surprising he could just be calm and so responsible in that moment. And that’s why we want to do something for him to remember it by.”
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Sicamous RCMP Sgt. Murray McNeil and Cpl Wade Fisher present seven-year-old Cody Krabbendam of Ranchero with an award for bravery on Wednesday, July 22. The award, a Detachment Commander Certificate of Appreciation for Bravery, was given to Krabbendam for his act of bravery on Saturday, July 11 at the Sicamous beach park, where he jumped into the water to save another boy from drowning. (Contributed)
