Sadia Khan

Sadia Khan rescued a boy from drowning, Ottawa, Ontario, June 30, 2024. A 6-year-old boy had slipped and fallen into rapids in the Rideau River at Hog’s Back Park and struggled to remain afloat amid the fast-moving current downstream from a dam and a series of waterfalls. Nearby, along the rocky riverbank, Khan, 36, researcher, was sitting and talking with a friend when she was alerted to the boy in the water. Khan immediately lowered herself into the water and waded and swam about 10 feet in chin-deep water until she was able to grasp the boy under his arm. Khan struggled to keep the boy above water as the current continued to pull them, causing her to slam into various rocks and submerge multiple times. Khan was attempting to dig her feet into the rocks at the bottom of the river, but she could not maintain a foothold. After being pulled approximately 300 feet downstream, Khan was able to wedge her feet between riverbed rocks and grab onto a dry rock above the surface. She then pushed the boy up onto the rock before pulling herself up. They sat atop the rock near the river bank, the boy in Khan’s lap, until first-responders arrived. The boy was cold and suffered a cut on his arm; he was evaluated by paramedics on scene and recovered. Khan suffered multiple cuts on her legs, back, arms, and feet. She went to the hospital a week later and was prescribed to undergo long-term physiotherapy for pain in her lower body. More than a year later, Khan was still experiencing hip and lower back pain.

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