Boy Hero Gets Awesome Reward

You know the idea of paying it forward? Well, in the case of 11-year-old Adonis Bell it’s very true, in a dramatic way.

On Aug. 22, the Chicago teen made front-page headlines for his heroics because earlier in the week he bravely saved his family after he realized the house was being engulfed in flames. But rather than feeling proud of his heroics, Adonis told reporters he simply felt “sad” because his family was now homeless.

However, now Adonis is feeling pretty darn happy. Why? Because the mayor of nearby Roseland, Ill., was so moved by his heroism he decided to give him and his family a new house ... for free.

"That kid had real concern to get his family out and he put himself in danger. Most kids get scared … he took it upon himself to be a lifesaver," Mayor Deyon Dean told the Chicago Sun-Times. "He loves his family and said, 'I’m going to be the one to get them out.' That touched me. I wanted to do something for them."

The village bought the home from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development for $1 and it needs some minor repairs before the family can move in. However, donations are pouring in for the family from people who were moved by Adonis’ heroic deed.

The drama began after he awoke at 3:30 a.m. last Wednesday to heavy black smoke billowing in from the kitchen. He woke up his mom, and grabbed his 2-year-old god-sister — asleep in her Tinkerbell pajamas — and carried her out, fireman style, over his shoulder. He then went back in to make sure his aunt, grandmother and other relatives exited the house safely.

"I knew what to do," Adonis modestly told the Chicago Sun-Times. "A fireman came to our school."

Now, the pint-sized hero is just so excited he has a new house to call home.

"He was at a breakfast place [when he found out about the house] and people started hugging him and crying and getting emotional," his grandmother, Kaen, Bell, told the Sun-Times. "They called him the little hero. And he was grinning and grinning all over himself."

Grins that were very well-deserved.

Photo courtesy of linder6580 via stock.xchang