The parents of Xander Vento, the little boy who nearly drowned saving another child at a neighborhood pool far North Fort Worth earlier this week, says they are taking their son off of life support.

Cris and Misty Vento released the following statement Thursday:

"We’ve 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."

Xander, 4, held a struggling 3-year-old girl above the water and went under water in the process. After he was pulled from the water, he was hospitalized and fell into a coma.

On Thursday, his parents decided to remove him from life support and donate his organs.

A fund has been established Xander's name to help the family with medical expenses. Anyone wishing to contribute can do so online at https://www.wepay.com/donations/145080.