An emotional video of a 10-year-old girl thanking the stranger who sacrificed his life to save her from a dangerous rip current is touching hearts across social media.
Summer McCallum survived the terrifying incident at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, after Derrick Moore, a Georgia teacher and father of four, rushed into the water to help her when she became trapped in a powerful current.
Summer recalled becoming frightened when she realized she could no longer touch the bottom. Her uncle, Ernest McCallum, entered the water after noticing she was struggling, while other Good Samaritans — including Moore — also joined the desperate rescue effort.
Moore, a physical education coach at Rockbridge Elementary School in Stone Mountain, Georgia, managed to reach Summer and helped her toward safety. Other rescuers eventually reached them with a flotation device, allowing the young girl to make it safely back to shore. Tragically, Moore was unable to escape the dangerous water himself.
The heartbreaking incident happened on August 8, and Moore’s body was later recovered after the rescue.
Now, Summer is speaking publicly about the man whose courageous decision gave her another chance at life.
Overcome with emotion while remembering Moore, the 10-year-old revealed the message she wishes she could personally deliver to him: “Thank you. I really owe my life to you.”
Her words have added another emotional chapter to a tragedy that has left Moore’s family and community grieving while celebrating his extraordinary act of bravery.
10-year-old girl gets emotional while thanking the man who died saving her life after she was caught in a rip current. pic.twitter.com/OFaWY4d37C
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) August 14, 2026
Officials said Myrtle Beach was under double red flags at the time, indicating that entering the water was prohibited because of hazardous conditions.
For Summer and her family, Moore will never simply be remembered as a stranger on the beach.
He was the man who saw a child in danger and chose to act — a decision that ultimately cost him his own life while allowing hers to continue.
Derrick Moore’s final act has turned him into a hero whose sacrifice one 10-year-old girl says she will never forget.
