Isaac Pinsonneault’s reactions saved a man’s life this summer. And now he’s poised to receive provincial recognition for his efforts.
In August, while on a family vacation near Goderich, Pinsonneault risked his own life in heavy waves to rescue a man floundering off the shore at Point Farms Provincial Park. In March, the 17-year-old Pain Court teen will be one of 12 people honoured as Ontario Junior Citizens of the Year.
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Pinsonneault vividly remembers that day in August when he was on a camping trip with cousins.
“We were playing beach volleyball. These two women approached us and asked if anybody could swim,” he said. “I looked out and saw someone in the water. Without hesitation, I decided to go in and see if I could help.”
Pinsonneault said someone else, armed with a pair of boogie boards, was swimming out in the heavy waves ahead of him. When he caught up to that man, he took one of the boards and kept going.
“About 75 feet out, I got to him. The waves were pretty big. We both rested on the boogie board, then kicked our way back to shore,” he said.
The man, in his 20s, told Pinsonneault he went into the water to cool off, but didn’t anticipate the strong undertow that just kept pulling him farther and farther from shore.
Parents Collette and Claude Pinsonneault couldn’t be more proud. But that didn’t stop Collette from worrying like a typical mother.
“He called us the next day and told us what happened,” she said of her son’s life-saving effort. “I cried all that day. I was just happy he was safe.”
But she was quick to praise him for being calm in a difficult situation.
“He kept his cool the whole way, asking the man questions the whole way to shore,” she said.
She said Pinsonneault’s grandmother used to be the aquatic director at The Wheels Inn and always stressed water safety.
The Grade 12 student at Ecole secondaire de Pain Court said the experience gave him a different perspective on life.
And now he’s receiving province-wide recognition, which started as a local groundswell of support.
“I think a few teachers nominated me; a few friends wrote letters; and my parents. I’d like to thank everyone who nominated me,” he said. “I’m extremely honoured and very thankful for this award.”
The date and exact location of the ceremony is still to be determined, likely in Toronto, and sometime this spring.
Pinsonneault, who next year hopes to take psychology at the University of Guelph, is hopeful he’ll be able to attend.
“An issue might come up. I’m leaving for a trip in March. I’m going to Croatia on a religious pilgrimage,” he said.
The Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards are promoted through the more than 300 member newspapers of the Ontario Community Newspapers Association, including The Chatham Voice.
