"I would never imagine that he would have this instinct, he did everyone proud," said David's mother, Susan.
It all started at a big graduation party. No one noticed that something was wrong – even the adults,
"I saw a boy in the deep end," said David.
"I was like, oh my God, he's dead. Thankfully CPR brought him back to life," said David's dad, Gary Collins.
David says he did not know the 9-year-old boy he saved – not even his name. David has not seen the boy since that day. State politicians from Albany tracked David down, came to his house, and awarded him with the Liberty Medal, the state's highest civilian honor.
"This young boy, 12 years old, saved a life," adds Senator Charles Fuschillo of Merrick.
While David insists he just did what anyone would do, he has got quite the back-to-school story.
