Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: December 21, 1999
• Invested on: December 08, 2000

On April 5, 1999, Marie-Hélène Étienne-Rousseau, age seven, saved her three-year-old brother from drowning in the St-Germain River near their home in Ste-Jeanne-D'Arc de Lefebvre, Quebec. The children were playing outside when Marie-Hélène heard her younger brother's cry. She quickly ran to the river where the small child, who had fallen in the water, was trying desperately to hold onto the bank. She descended the steep slope and grabbed him by the hand, but lost her footing and also fell in the water. The children struggled, and the young victim dragged Marie-Hélène under. She managed to resurface and support her brother with one hand, while with the other, she continued to search for a new handhold on the shore, since the force of the current was making her lose her grip. Meanwhile, their mother had rushed to the river on hearing their cries and pulled them out of the water.