Xander Vento, 4-Year-Old Texas Boy, Dies After Saving Drowning Girl [Video]

FORT WORTH, Texas — A 4-year-old boy who saved a 3-year-old girl from drowning at a pool in Forth Worth earlier this week has died after being removed from life support.

According to ABC News, Xander Vento was swimming at a neighborhood pool in North Fort Worth on Monday when he noticed a 3-year-old girl struggling to stay above the water in the deep end.

The heroic 4-year-old reportedly rushed to the younger girl’s aid and supported her above the water until she could get to safety, but he slipped under after he became exhausted.

After Xander was pulled from the water, rescuers did get a pulse from him, but he was unable to breathe on his own and slipped into a coma after being transported to a nearby children’s hospital.

The 3-year-old girl Xander saved is in fair condition, but the young hero was taken off life support Thursday.

KHOU reports that the girl’s mother was at the pool at the time of the accident, but few other details were released.

Xander’s parents, Cris and Misty Vento, released the following statement Thursday afternoon:

“We have made the extremely difficult decision to remove our precious son Xander from life support. We send heartfelt thanks to all of you who kept our family in your thoughts and prayers. We’re appreciative of your love and support. We in some way hope our son’s life serves as an inspiration. He was the angel in the pool who sacrificed himself to save another. And now he continues to give as an organ donor. We were blessed to have such a kind and caring boy as Xander, who set an example for all of us and even now he will be saving lives by giving of himself.”

NBC reports that a fund has been established Xander Vento’s name to help the family with medical expenses. Anyone wishing to contribute can do so by visiting this link.