- So take a look at this body cam footage
from a dramatic rescue in Michigan.
Those are two firefighters risking their lives
to save two children stranded on a frozen pond.
The children accidentally rode
their sled too far onto the ice.
The firefighters had to crawl on their bellies,
careful not to break the ice.
Fortunately everyone is okay
and today their parents want to share their gratitude
in a segment we call, "Thankful."
(upbeat music "Thankful")
(audience applause)
All right ya'll, welcome Christine and her husband Bob.
(audience cheers)
So, I was just telling you in the break,
like we have a ranch in Montana and people go ice fishing.
It's my worst fear of one of the kids
falling in a hole,
'cause I have little babies, like little toddlers.
Like how awful was this?
- It was the scariest moment of our lives.
- Wow. - Yeah, we--
- Did you see it?
Did you see anything happen?
- We didn't, we didn't.
- Wow. - Yeah, so we--
- [Kelly] How did it happen?
- Well, we live in a home
on a lake north of Detroit.
And that morning my daughter Cora who's four,
begged me to build a snowman.
So as I'm getting ready,
my 13-year old Kaden, took Cora and my two-year old Bobby,
outside to build a snowman.
A lot of the times, they'll sled on a little slope
that we have in our backyard
but it rained overnight and I don't think they realized it
and the sled just - Oh my God.
- hit hit a patch of ice and kept going.
And Kaden runs to go and stop the sled
'cause he noticed it's picking up speed
and he tries to stop the sled
from going onto the ice
and as he's stopping it,
the ices breaks through.
He let's go of the sled
so he doesn't pull them in with him
and their sled keeps going.
He gets himself out and he runs to come get me and--
- What is that conversation like?
Like he runs in and your,
I mean I would just go nuclear
'cause that's where my emotions would be heightened.
- Well there was not really a conversation.
It was a mom.
That's all I needed to hear.
The way he said it, it was so different
than I've ever heard before
and I knew right away.
And I run outside and what I see is my kids...
- Stranded. - Yeah and
I can't get to them.
- Yeah, so how quickly did the first responders arrive?
- They arrived within minutes.
It felt like forever.
But I think the scariest part for me is,
while I'm on the phone with the operator,
and she's tryna give me directions
and keep me calm and she,
she tells me to have the kids get off the sled
and lay on the ice
and I knew that I couldn't do that with my two-year old.
He wouldn't listen to that, he wouldn't
follow that direction. - He wouldn't understand it.
He wouldn't comprehend almost, yeah.
- So I just screamed to Cora, my four-year old.
I say, "Hold on to Bobby really tight"
and I just started praying to God.
- So Bob what was going through your head?
- It's kinda the same thing.
I just felt helpless.
Like just everything's running through your head
like what to do.
I started inflating like a inflatable raft that we had,
but no options seemed good.
So when I was doing that, she was calling 911
and that's when the lady was explaining.
- That's pretty smart though, the raft thing,
that was smart, yeah.
- Yeah, just like if I got out to them and the ice broke.
- Yeah. - Like before I got to them.
- So how did ya'll feel?
Like especially Christine being the momma,
just I'm a momma, sorry dad's are awesome.
But as a mother, how did you feel
when your kids were pulled to shore?
- Instant relief, just watching them getting pulled in
was scary 'cause you're thinking, "Oh my gosh.
"What is the ice breaks
"even while they're pulling them in?"
So once they got to shore and they handed me,
they gave me Bobby and I just held him,
and I couldn't just get enough of him on me,
I mean you know?
I was just so relieved and so thankful to these
gentlemen that risked their lives to save my kids
and it was just - Yeah.
- an overwhelming feeling.
- I can't, I hope I never have to imagine.
So Christine and Bob, did you get a chance
to thank everyone like after that happened,
or were you just so
engulfed in your kids? - Yeah we were just
tryna get the kids in the house,
and warm so we thanked - Yeah.
- a few of them but we didn't actually
thank the firefighters that crawled out to them
and actually saved them. - Yeah and not that
you're not thankful.
I imagine your brain just goes to bear mode.
You're just like,
"Give me my babies." - Oh yeah, definitely.
- Like I wanna hold my babies.
Awe, all right well we
have a surprise for Christine and Bob.
The two firefighters who crawled on the ice
to save their children's lives are actually here.
Please welcome Patrick and Bill
of the Shelby Township Fire Department ya'll.
(audience cheers)
Yes hello, I'm Kelly.
Nice to see you. - Nice to see you too.
- Kind of got makeup on your uniform.
Hi. - Thank you so much.
- Come on, sit down.
- [Christine] Thank you so much.
- I come prepared.
I cry a lot on this show so
they're always here.
I mean thank you so much first of all,
for what ya'll do like just going
in such a dangerous environment.
(audience applause)
People don't really realize how
extremely dangerous that situation can be
if you're not around frozen ponds, frozen rivers,
or anything like that.
- We train in ice rescue every year
'cause we have a lot of lakes in our area
and the conditions that day
caused the ice to be pretty thin
and even as we started walking out towards the kids,
we could feel how unstable it was under us.
We started to feel the cracking
which 'caused us to lay down
and start to crawl to distribute our weight better.
My concern was, where the kids were at,
the ice was much thinner,
and I'm an almost 200 pound guy without gear on
so I was concerned-- - So you needed to
send someone who was like 113?
(laughs)
- Yeah, yes, absolutely. - Yeah sorry
I wasn't there guys.
- But yeah I was concerned about causing a break-through
as I got up to them. - Yeah.
- So I just wanted to get up there
and get my hands on their sled
and just get it pulled into me
so I could get my arms around them,
and just have control of them
regardless of what happens.
- Yeah. - So I mean really
when you think about how dangerous that situation was,
you think about the water temperature, their ages.
Had they broke through that ice
before we got there or before the 911 call was made,
it could have been a very different outcome
and really this could not have gone
better than how it did.
It went very smooth.
- God bless, yes.
Well is there anything you want to say to these two?
I know you we're crying you couldn't talk much.
- Gosh he response time 16 minutes.
- That's insane - Exactly what you said,
if it was any longer
I don't know if my kids would have lasted it out there,
they're two and four .
They're impatient, your response time was amazing.
Just your skills showed
and it was amazing to watch
and we are so grateful for you.
- [Kelly] The selflessness of your job.
(applause)
- It's really something that we're trained for.
You know everyday we're trained to expect
that the worst thing can happen
and as we're going out there,
fortunately nothing serious happened,
we we're able to get on to them and the best part for me is
the fact that when we we're pulling them in
the two kids we're just sitting there
laughing and having a good time.
- Of course
- It was a huge relief for us to feel that
they we're save enough that they thought
they we're good and then we we're able
to hand them over to you and that you know
it's fortunate enough that nothing serious happened
and we we're able to get a nice little reunion there.
- They're probably like, "Can we do it again?"
(laughs)
Like children, like everything isn't roses all the time.
So I mean I what do ya'll think?
I mean isn't that crazy?
Have you ever heard of anything like that happening?
- No I mean, I'm born and raised in Los Angeles
so even as you're,
the story got more harrowing to me as you we're talking
even more about the dangers of that
which I didn't even fully comprehend.
You guys are incredible, the bravery and congratulations
that your kids are save.
(applause)
- 'Cause you're very right,
it could have gone a completely different way.
- Absolutely - And it's just an accident,
you know and accidents happen.
Well thankfully ya'll responded so soon
but Christine and Bob aren't the only ones
that want to say thanks though.
Kaden, Cora and Bobby come on out!
(applause)
- Oh my gosh.
You are beautiful!
You look beautiful, I love your dress
and your headband.
Ya'll want to come over?
You can sit with, I promise we'll be nice,
I have balloon animals see.
(laughs)
So talented, one for you look it matches your dress.
You don't have to keep it but it's name is
fred, there we go.
(laughs)
You wanna sit with me?
If there's enough room you can sit with me.
You wanna sit with me?
I won't bite I promise.
(laughs)
Well okay these brave firefighters
saved ya'll from the ice.
Do you remember that?
- Yes - Yes, okay.
Wow, it is impressive, it is.
(laughs)
Well would you like to say anything to them?
Ya'll ran to your momma and your daddy
when it happened but would you like to say
thank you or anything
'cause you didn't fall through the ice, did you?
- Yes - Yes
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
- [Kelly] Oh my gosh can I keep her?
Thank you guys so much!
I love how impressed he is with my skill
That's my skill bro.