Mike Patterson, Georgia man who saved drowning girl, paralyzed in event, passes away
A Georgia dad who was paralyzed after saving a drowning girl passed away and laid to rest Monday.
Mike Patterson and son
Mike Patterson, age 43, severed his spinal cord after he dove into Euharlee Creek in Rockmart, Georgia to save a stranger’s child from drowning. Mike was left paralyzed by his effort, and Mike’s own son, age 9, witnessed the accident from the shoreline.
Less than a month later the man has passed away.
“His life and the lives of others are forever changed by his courageous, split-second decision to save another’s life,” Patterson’s family wrote in a statement.
Javaeh Jones, the little girl he helped save, emerged from the incident unscathed and her mother expressed her gratitude for Patterson’s selflessness.
“He’s a God-send basically,” Javaeh’s mom told myfoxatlanta.com. “He was there. He was supposed to have been there.”
Patterson didn’t have health insurance at the time of the accident because he had recently started a new construction job, which prompted his supporters to set up a trust to raise money for his mounting medical bills. Funds and well wishes poured in as Patterson battled scores of ailments, including respiratory problems, pneumonia, a bacterial infection and a blood clot.
Patterson died on Friday and the funeral was Monday afternoon.
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