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Champion swimmer rescues boy, gets support from GoFundMe for mom battling MS

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Champion swimmer rescues young boy, man from sinking boat in NJ

A woman's heroic rescue to save a young boy and man from a sinking boat in New Jersey, is showing just how big of a heart she has.

KINNELON, New Jersey (WABC) -- A champion swimmer from New Jersey is being heralded for rescuing a boy, but she's a hero every day to her mom battling multiple sclerosis.

It was Easter Sunday, and Jennifer Watson's dogs, Peanut and Georgia, were outside and would not stop barking.

"I saw like a boat, like in the middle -- and it was like 3/4 of the way underwater," Fayson Lakes resident Jennifer Watson said.

Two men and a child were in a panic on the lake. Their boat was sinking.

"The dad was screaming, and he was like 'help me, help me, I have my 3 year old son,'" Watson said.

Luckily, they had quite the hero rescuer. Watson has been a champion swimmer since the age of five.

"I swam out to them and I grabbed the 3-year-old boy and swam back to shore," Watson said.

Her neighbors on the lake are not surprised at all that Watson didn't hesitate to jump in.

"Not at all, Jen is a very selfless person, she's been helping her mom since she was a teenager," neighbor Colleen Lazarus said.

And there is so much more to Watson's heart.

She was born the year after her mother Lynne's diagnosis of MS.

Lynne Watson took her last step November 1, 2011, and her daughter stepped in.

"Jennifer is the most wonderful, generous, compassionate, kind," Lynne Watson said.

Jennifer is selfless indeed, in helping strangers in need and her mother, balancing both home and future.

"Since she was about 14, she's been the primary caregiver for her mom," Lazurus said. "Jen had an opportunity to go away to school, but she chose to stay home and help her mom."

Their neighbors are hoping that a GoFundme page will make sure that the Watsons will not have to struggle, and hope that it will provide some support, like hiring home healthcare so that Jennifer Watson can have more time for her classes.

"She's just so awesome," Lynne Watson said.