If you were to describe or imagine a real life hero, what comes to mind?
There's no defining characteristic of a hero, other than their courageous act that ends up saving a life.
Sometimes it's the people you least expect to be a hero that claim the title.
Nine-year-old Lexie Comeau-Jackson, who has cerebral palsy, has been strapped to a wheelchair for most of her life, but that doesn't mean she can't look out for her one-year-old baby brother.
While celebrating her birthday, her brother, Leeland, woke up from his nap and slipped out the back door without attracting attention.
"Mom brought him downstairs for me," Kelly Jackson, the mother of three told CTV News. "We didn't communicate about, oh the door isn't locked."
"And the scary thing is that he opened the door and closed it behind him, and he had never opened that patio door before," she added.
The only person that was keeping an eye on Leeland was his big sister.
When Lexie saw her brother heading for the family pool, she started yelling and pointing at the door.
"All of the sudden, I'm upstairs and I hear her screaming like bloody murder," Jackson said. "We've never heard her scream like that."
"I took off outside and I'm not seeing him," the grandmother, Nancy Comeau-Drisdelle, added. "I ran, and he's right by the edge (of the pool) and I took him out."
The family reported that the little boy only "coughed up some water," but was taken to hospital as a precaution.
They also said that Lexie's ninth birthday is one that they'll never forget.
"I hugged her, I cried and I still thank her every day," Jackson said. "Because honestly, in that matter, two seconds makes a huge difference."
"You don't need to be able to walk and talk and have all your senses. You can still make yourself heard, and you can still help. And yes, she did save his life," Comeau-Drisdelle added.
The Canadian girl was honored by her local police force and will be recognized at city hall.
And if you're wondering, a few days after the incident, the family installed a fence and a locked gate between their house and pool.
[Source: CTV Atlantic]
Last year, one five-year-old girl saved her mother from drowning. Click here to read the full story!
