Photo: Facebook
An Oklahoma man who was once awarded a Purple Heart proved himself a hero once again when he sacrificed his life to rescue his young granddaughter from a house fire.
Don Osteen was eating lunch with 3-year-old Paetyn on Sept. 19 when the home they were in exploded shortly after Don lit a candle about 15-30 feet away from the stove, local NBC affiliateKFORreports.
Brendon Osteen, Don’s son and Paetyn’s father,told the outletthat Don dove into action when he saw the roof crumble onto Paetyn and snagged her from the flames.
“He just got out of the house, and headed straight towards where he knew help was,” Brendon said. “He tried to get in his truck and his keys were melted to him. His phone was exploded in his pocket.”
Despite suffering a collapsed lung, broken ribs and severe burns, the Army veteran carried Paetyn a quarter of a mile and up a steep driveway to safety, taking care to place the girl in the shade once they were out of harm’s way.
“He wasn’t worried about himself at all,” Brendon told KFOR. “I’ll leave it at that, but ‘save her’ is what message he was trying to get across, and he did exactly that.”
Brendon confirmed onFacebookthat Don succumbed to his injuries on Monday.
He added, “Rest in Peace Daddio. You’re a hero.”
Don’s wife Anita shared aFacebooktribute of her own, writing, “Don was my best friend, my everything. I am still in a fog and state of shock, it all has not hit me yet.”
Paetyn, meanwhile, has made tremendous progress, Brendon said, noting that her doctors were very impressed with how far she’s come.
“[Doctors] are saying they can’t believe the progress she’s made so fast as a toddler with her severity of burns,” Brendon wrote onFacebookon Tuesday. “This little girl is so strong and fights so hard to cooperate whenever the nurses come in messing with her. We all can only imagine how much hurt she is dealing with physically and mentally.”
source: people.com
