The pain of losing a child is a burden no parent should ever have to bear, but for Shivy and Crystal Brooks, that profound grief is intertwined with an immense, heartbreaking pride. Their son, 16-year-old Bryce Brooks from Atlanta, became a hero in the truest sense of the word during a family vacation in Pensacola, Florida, in April 2023. While his life was tragically cut short, the legacy of his selfless final moments is now creating a powerful wave of change and protection for others.
The day began like any other vacation, but it swiftly turned into a nightmare when Bryce and his friends noticed four young children, strangers to them, being violently pulled under the water by a powerful rip current. Without a second thought for his own safety, Bryce jumped into the water to help. Witnesses recounted that even as he was being pulled under by the same relentless current, his calls for help were not for himself, but for the children he was determined to save. Tragically, Bryce was submerged and suffered a fatal cardiac arrest.
The tragedy was compounded when a close family friend, Charles “Uncle Chuck” Johnson II, dove in to rescue Bryce. Johnson, a husband and father of three known for his selfless nature, also fell victim to the dangerous waters. Both were airlifted to a hospital, where Bryce was pronounced dead. In the devastating days that followed, Shivy Brooks shared his anguish on social media, writing, “I never would have imagined waking up to RIP posts with my child’s picture attached to them,” simply captioning a photo of his son, “Our baby.”
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Despite their immeasurable loss, Bryce’s family has channeled their grief into a powerful force for good. They established the Bryce Brooks Foundation, a charity dedicated to water safety and drowning prevention. Its mission is to provide free swimming lessons for all ages and award scholarships to teens for lifeguard certification. In a poignant full-circle moment, the foundation recently awarded its first college scholarships, with one of the recipients being the son of Charles Johnson II, the man who had tried to save Bryce. Through their foundation, Bryce’s courage continues to save lives, ensuring his heroism will never be forgotten.
