Age 6 Boy Hailed Hero After Aunt Says He Saved Little Sister from Charging Dog
Bravery comes in all shapes, sizes and ages. Even a 6-year-old can be a hero, putting their own life on the line to save another.
Bridger is a 6-year-old boy who loves his little sister so much that he was willing to risk everything to keep her safe. His story has started circulating after his aunt Nikki Walker shared it on Instagram and asked people to pass it along.
“On July 9th, my six year old nephew Bridger saved his little sister’s life by standing between her and a charging dog,” Walker shared. “After getting bit several times on the face and head, he grabbed his sister’s hand and ran with her to keep her safe.”
“He later said, ‘If someone had to die, I thought it should be me.’ After receiving 90 stitches (give or take) from a skilled plastic surgeon, he’s finally resting at home.”
Walker shared photos of the two kids, showing their bond as well as the severity of the bite little Bridger received as a result of letting the dog attack him instead of his sister.
The owners of the dog have been cooperative and are actually friends with the family. Walker wanted readers to know there’s no resentment between the two parties.
Though the stitches look pretty gnarly, Walker wrote that Bridger is doing much better after being fixed up.
“He’s in great spirits, and his awesome personality is intact,” she elaborated.
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“He can’t smile too widely yet, but he was grinning as I read some of your comments to him.”
Part of the reason Nikki Walker wanted Bridger’s story to go viral is so that his personal heroes might see and reach out to him.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCjDnLngOYO/
“We know that our little hero would love some words of encouragement from his favorite heroes,” she wrote. “We love our brave boy and want all the other superheroes to know about this latest hero who joined their ranks.”
Walker tagged Tom Holland, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chris Pratt, Tom Hiddleston, Chadwick Boseman, Vin Diesel and Chris Evans.
On July 15, Evans — who has played Captain America in a series of Marvel movies — responded with a video message for the heroic youngster.
“You’re a hero. What you did was so brave, so selfless. Your sister is so lucky to have you as a big brother. Your parents must be so proud of you,” he said.
Evans added that he’d be sending little Bridger a Captain America shield.
6-year-old Bridger receives a commendation for bravery from Captain America himself after saving his little sister from a dog attack.pic.twitter.com/0mzLk7OVZ0
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) July 16, 2020
In addition to Evans, dozens of readers have responded to Bridger’s story — and with each update, their offers and requests have become more generous.
In a second update to the post, Walker thanked readers again for the lovely comments they’ve left for Bridger.
“I’ve had lots of inquiries about a GoFundMe,” she continued. “Bridger’s family has asked that any one wishing to help out financially can, instead, donate to @mission_22 or @wwp. Bridger is also a huge fan of Science, especially Geology. So I’m going to start a post where people can share with him pictures of cool rocks that they see.”
Once readers realized that Bridger was a fan of geology, they started offering to send the little hero some rocks, so Walker posted an address they could send their gifts to.
“Once again, everyone’s kindness has meant so much to us,” Walker wrote in a third update. “I’m trying to get to all of the messages that I can, but it may take some time.”
Keep sharing this story so that Bridger’s story of heroism can make it to his own heroes!
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
UPDATE, July 16, 2020: After the publication of this article, actor Chris Evans, who was tagged in Nikki Walker’s original Instagram post, responded with a video message for Bridger. This article has been updated to include Evans’ response.
