Frances Taylor McNeil and Larry McNeil are nominated for our News 3 Everyday Hero Humanitarian Award. The winner will receive $2,500 from us and a donation to a charity of their choice from our segment sponsor Southern Bank.
To vote for the 2024 News 3 Everyday Hero Humanitarian Award, scroll to the end of this article.
It was an ordinary Sunday afternoon at Portsmouth City Park when a couple and their three children witnessed an emergency.
What separates heroes from ordinary humans?
One definition: the split-second decision to ignore their own personal safety to rescue a stranger.
Frances Taylor McNeil and her husband Larry played a role in stopping a near tragedy that unfolded before their eyes.
Frances has the scars to prove it, her feet are riddled with cuts and bruises after she ran across broken clam shells and rocks at the water's edge after seeing a young child struggling in the water at the park.
"I don't think of myself as a hero, I did what needed to be done," Frances said.
Larry followed her into the water after calling 911. He was joined by two other bystanders.
Frances says she was the first to get to the little girl, pulling her now lifeless body to the surface.
"She wasn't breathing, she was just limp. I still have flashbacks of that to this day," said Frances.
One of the bystanders performed CPR and the first responders were there within minutes according to the couple.
The child was revived and taken to the hospital.
For their heroic actions that saved a young girl's life, Frances and Larry are this week's News 3 Everyday Heroes!
