Grappling with the “immeasurable and seemingly never ending” pain of losing his hero son, father Shivy Brooks is proud of his “baby boy” Bryce, who selflessly put the lives of four young children ahead of his own.
Back in 2023, Bryce was vacationing with his family in Florida when he saw a group of young children struggling with powerful rip currents that kept burying their heads underwater.
Not thinking twice, the teenager immediately reacted and jumped in to help. As he did so, the unexpected happened.
Atlanta’s Bryce Brooks, 16, was on a family trip in Pensacola when he and some friends “witnessed four other younger kids who they did not know being pulled by the current,” father Shivy Brooks explained at a news conference.
Without hesitation, Bryce, 16, and two other friends jumped in to help.
“Our son Bryce, while being pulled by currents himself literally called for help, but not for himself, he was calling for help for the little kids he was looking out for,” Shivy, who is a teacher, said.
When Bryce was in the water, he “was pulled under,” his father added of the April 6 incident that happened in an area with no lifeguards. According to reports, at the time, yellow flags, indicating moderate currents, had been issued.
Shivy shared an Instagram clip, pleading people to pray, as he drove to see Bryce in the hospital where he and close family friend Charles Johnson II, or “Uncle Chuck,” were airlifted.
“My oldest son Bryce needs our prayers…Bryce went to rescue another child who was drifting to [sea] and was pulled under by a strong current himself,” he said. “Our dear friend went in to save Bryce and was victim to the waters as well. Both have been airlifted to a local Pensacola Hospitals and I am unaware of their conditions at this moment. His mother and I are in the road to get to him now.”
The next day, Shivy shared a message that read, “I never would have imagined waking up to RIP posts with my child’s picture attached to them.”
He captioned the post, “Our baby.”
Bryce died from cardiac arrest.
“The selflessness that it takes for someone to make such a sacrifice, to do so at only the age of 16, we’re so proud as parents how our son has shown up in this moment,” Shivy Brooks said… “Let it be amplified that Atlanta developed kids that would give up their life for others that they didn’t even know.”
Over the past years, Shivy’s social media has been filled with tearful heavenly birthday wishes, a first day of school, Father’s Day thoughts to other dads “that can’t hug their babies,” and an April 8 clip where he’s about to break his “younger son’s heart by telling him his big brother won’t be coming home.”
And though nothing can take away the shattering heartbreak, Bryce’s dad is extremely proud of his son, whom he called his “baby boy.”
“Bryce is a hero. He literally saved the lives of four kids at the expense of his own,” Shivy shared. “We’re never gonna get to see Bryce grow up to be the full man he was going to be. But we know that he stepped into his manhood to save these children and that makes me proud.”
His mother, Crystal, adds, “It doesn’t take away an ounce of pain, but it makes me proud of our son and what he sacrificed. And I’ll forever hold that.”
Meanwhile, “Uncle Chuck” Johnson was a husband and father of three, who, according to Shivy, was “a person that looks after everyone.”
“That he would give up his life in an attempt to save Bryce’s life; it’s everything I expect and I know about that man,” Shivy said.
Months after Bryce died, the family set up the Bryce Brooks Foundation, a charity “dedicated to fostering water safety and drowning prevention. Our mission is to provide free swimming lessons for adults and children and empower teens through scholarships for lifeguard certification.”
The foundation has now awarded its first six scholarships to help with college expenses, with Johnson’s son among the recipients.
Recently, Shivy shared a heart-wrenching message on Instagram: “Bryce’s presence is missed evermore. Bryce has always been by my side to make impossible things, feasible. Bryce was always my hero.”
The post continues, “I just want to talk to this kid. I just want to put my arms around him. I just want my son to come home.”
