When Carnegie Hero Aden Spencer Perry died attempting to save a man from a submerging vehicle, his mother focused her grief on a mission to make sure no other mother would have to go through what she did.
“My goal is to go city by city and get these rings donated and installed,” said Sarah Perry, Aden’s mom. “I would like this to be a statewide mandate.”
In April 2022, Aden, 17, drowned while attempting to save the teen driver of a car that entered a lake in Sunrise, Florida. Aden was walking his dog with his mother when they witnessed the car enter the water and drift to a point about 40 feet from the bank where water was 25 feet deep. The driver, 18, exited his car and called for help. Aden entered the water and quickly submerged along with the driver. Police divers located Aden and the driver and removed them from the water. They had drowned.
Now, three years later, Sarah Perry has installed or provided funding for more than 500 rescue rings in Florida, and they are saving lives.
Last month she and Apollo, Aden’s dog, returned from the first out-of-state donation in Beaufort, South Carolina, near the Henry Robinson boardwalk.
“While in this beautiful city I was struck by the incredible strength, perseverance, passion, and love that was on display everywhere,” Perry said.
To honor Aden, most of the rescue rings include a stand baring Aden’s photo and a quote, “A hero is a person of distinguished courage and ability, admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
In Oakland Park, Florida, Fire Chief Stephan Krivjanik reported that a life ring installed at the Boynton Inlet, a manmade cut that connects Lake Worth Lagoon with the Atlantic Ocean, was used to save a swimmer struggling in choppy water on Memorial Day.
Perry said the rescue ring was installed just three weeks before the rescue.
“A good Samaritan was able to throw Aden’s Life Ring into the water, without having to go in themselves and a life was saved,” Perry wrote on Facebook. “This is why I am on this mission.”
Perry said she has heard of other confirmed cases in which the rescue rings were used.
“I fully realize the honor bestowed on him by your foundation, and I don’t take that lightly,” Perry said. “As a hero, I owe it to him to keep his name and his story alive to hopefully inspire others.”
In addition to the donation of life rings, Perry’s organization, the Aden Perry Good Samaritan and Scholarship Fund also offers scholarships for SAT prep and higher education.
