A Winnipeg woman who saved a young girl and her father from drowning in the Red River last week has reunited with the family — and heard how certain they were the girl hadn’t survived. “It was exhilarating and surreal to meet them. I was so happy that I got to see the little girl. She was walking and talking and just happy,” Jaclyn Morrissette said. Morrissette previously said she was on a walk with her neighbour in Winnipeg’s St. John’s Park on Aug. 24 when she noticed a little girl flailing in the water. She said she started heading toward the water, planning to jump in and get the girl, but before she could, the father jumped in. When he didn’t resurface after about 10 seconds, she said she emptied her pockets and went in after him. With help from her neighbour and one of the man’s family members, she was able to pull him onto the shore. Still in the water, Morrissette then turned her attention to the little girl. When she reached her, she said the girl wasn’t breathing or moving. Morrissette said she began CPR immediately, continuing until she couldn’t go any longer. Her friend took over until police arrived. The girl was taken to hospital in unstable condition and later upgraded to stable. Police previously said she is expected to make a full recovery. Morrissette said she didn’t have much time to speak with the family on the day of the rescue, as they were rushing to the hospital. On Saturday, she said she was able to meet the father, mother and their two young daughters outside her home in the St. John’s neighbourhood — including the four-year-old girl she saved, who she said has special needs. “They were super grateful. They wouldn’t stop saying, ‘Thank you so much,’ and how I was an angel,” she said. Morrissette said the reunion lasted about 30 minutes. During that time, she said the family told her just how dire they believed the situation had been. “They thought their daughter was a goner. In their country, they told me, when somebody stops moving and starts floating in the water, they know for sure that they’re dead,” Morrissette said. “They are extremely grateful and amazed that I was able to do what I did and that I saved both of them. They can’t show how much gratitude they have toward me, and they wish to keep in touch going forward.” Morrissette said the family are newcomers to Winnipeg, having lived in the city for about a year or two. She said it was instinct that drove her to react so quickly that day. “I couldn’t stand by and let that happen. I just had to do it,” she said. “It was a surreal experience, and I’m so glad that I got to save their lives and meet the little girl and the father,” she said. A spokesperson for the Winnipeg Police Service previously said that if Morrissette hadn’t done what she did, the outcome could have been very different, describing her actions as “truly heroic.” With files from CTV News’ Jeff Keele
