It’s a small world and you never know what the day will bring you. For this man, a simple drive to the garage suddently turned into an incredible moment.
When Chris Thorp was driving around with his wife Jenah, he thought he spotted someone who looked familiar and who he will never forget.
Thirteen years ago, the former firefighter rescued a young four-year-old boy out of a burning car.
It was a terrible accident, but Chris managed to pull the little boy out of the car before things got even worse. All those years later, Chris suspected that the young man he spotted was actually the boy he saved.
“I wonder if that’s him,” he said to his wife in the passenger’s seat.
“Everything about it seemed right. The age, the injuries, the scars……I hadn’t seen him in nearly 13 years, he was 4 years old then, but everything seemed to fit.”
Chris was flabbergasted and approached the young man after he dropped off his wife at the garage. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure that this was the person he rescued but went to talk to him to find out.
He slowly walked towards him and his family and then simply asked if his name was Christian.
“Is your name Christian?”
“Yeah,” he replied.
“You were in a car fire in Windsor on 101 when you were 5?”
“Yeah.”
“My name is Chris, and I’m one of the ones who pulled you out.”
Their reunion was emotional and surreal, to say the least.
Chris wasn’t even supposed to be at that parking lot that day, as his wife was dealing with unexpected car troubles.
The accident still lingers in both of their minds, as Christian was the only survivor in the crash. His burn wounds are extensive, but he made it out alive thanks to the quick intervention by this ex-firefighter.
“Here he was….the sole survivor of a crash, that impacted us both in ways I don’t think either of our families truly will ever fully comprehend.”
The two then caught up and told about their lives.
It turns out Christian’s road to recovery hasn’t gone without its hurdles and he has gone through enormous challenges. However, Chris also heard that the young man has done some amazing things in those thirteen years and he couldn’t be any more proud.
“He gave me a brief rundown of his life since. We didn’t touch on too much, but he’s a serious warrior.”
As for what Chris has been up to all this time, he worked at the local Sheriff’s Office after his firefighting career. Currently, he’s the Co-Program Manager of Operation Enduring Warrior-Task Force Sentinel, helping out (wounded) veterans and former members of the military around the country. One thing is for sure: this man always wants to help people the best he can.
During their talks, something important popped up in Chris’ mind.
“I stopped him dead sentence, and told him I have something for you,” he recalls.
For his selfless act of bravery, Chris was awarded the Gold Medal of Valor after the accident. He has kept it inside of his Jeep glove department for all of those years, not really knowing what to do with it – until now.
He then simply explained to Christian that he deserved the medal far more than he ever did and handed it over to him.
(…) he was far more brave and a warrior than I ever shall be. He accepted it, and in a lot of ways I realized I had been merely its keeper, until the time came for him to take possession.”
Suffice to say, these two will remember this special and emotional encounter for the rest of their lives. Understandably, that tragic day thirteen years ago changed both of their lives in ways that are indescribeable.
Chris says that Christian and his family are still very much a part of him and always will be.
“I still don’t know how I feel. Him and his family are very much a part of me. A part of me has come home, and at the same moment a huge weight has been lifted from my heart. Well, higher power… If you are there. Thank you,” he concluded.
What an amazing reunion!
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