Recently, an 80-year-old man from a village in Jiangsu province risked his own life by going into a river to rescue a drowning 8-year-old boy. It turns out that he’s done this kind of thing before.

According to a video shared by Jiangsu Television, the elderly man, surnamed Xu, said that he and his wife had heard a little boy screaming for help while frantically paddling to keep his head above water on the morning of August 3rd. Despite injuries sustained two years ago when he fell down the stairs, Xu got into the river with the help of his wife and rescued the boy without hesitation.

Reportedly, the boy had been playing with his grandmother when he accidentally slipped and fell into the water. With Xu’s help he was rescued and taken to the hospital. Later, it was revealed that the boy not only owes his life to Xu, but actually his entire existence.

“When I was younger, her son [the boy’s father] was drowning in the river and I jumped to save him,” Xu recalled. “Now that I’m old, I can’t jump anymore.”

That rescue took place some 30 years ago. In the meantime, Xu and his wife have rescued four other people from drowning in the river near their home. Hopefully, the boy he just rescued will give his own son some swimming lessons, so Xu doesn’t have to take the plunge again at age 110.

[Images via ijiangyin.com]