He doesn't believe that he's a hero though
Clayton and Brittany Cook had just gotten married at a public park in beautiful Kitchener, Ontario. Like most couples, they were taking photographs among the trees and water features just before the reception started.
While basking in their joy and snapping shots of themselves on their happy day, they noticed a group of young children following them around. They had no idea, at the time, that those kids would become a part of the big day.
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Saving a Child
Credit: NBC
Afterwards, Clayton discussed how his wedding photos turned into a viral sensation on national television. “We just got married, and we were doing our wedding photos in the park using different backdrops. There were three kids following us for several minutes giggling and laughing at us. We didn’t think much of it, and they started walking towards the pond. My dad instincts kicked in, and I said, ‘I’ll just keep an eye on them and see what they’re doing,’” he said.
While Brittany took solo pictures, Clayton was really able to watch them. “He walked over to check on them and noticed the kids looking at the water and one kid was struggling to swim, so Clay jumped down on a rock ledge closer to the water and pulled him out,” she remembered.
“When I got there, they were kind of looking down in the water and pointing. That’s when I saw the boy — he was in the water, struggling, trying to keep his head up above the water and just flailing his arms quite a bit and just trying to keep air in himself. That’s when I was able to kind of jump down the rock ledge,” Clayton recalled. “He was in a lot of shock, and he was probably pretty tired. I think he was fighting for longer than I even thought.”