Bus driver terrified of water froze as a 4-year-old started to sink in the lake’s deep end — then she did the unthinkable
Sometimes, courage comes from the most unexpected places. Minnesota school bus driver Mebal Kaanyi experienced this firsthand when a routine day on her route turned into a life-or-death situation. While finishing her route on November 20, 2025, she noticed a small figure running down the street toward Lake Owasso. As reported by 12 News, the boy was only four years old, dressed in nothing but a short-sleeve shirt and underwear, with no shoes or a sweatshirt, despite the cold weather. Kaanyi’s heart raced as she saw him approach a fence gate that suddenly opened, giving him direct access to the lake’s edge. The scene was tense, but she knew she had to act immediately.
Kaanyi quickly secured her bus and ran after the boy. She didn’t yet know he had been reported missing by his aunt, but she could see he was in danger. “I see this little guy coming, running down the street, from up the hill, he was crying and running," she said. As he stepped into the lake, he immediately started having trouble in the water. “The spot where he stepped, it was deep, so he just started struggling in there,” she recalled. Kaanyi had never been a swimmer and admitted that water had always terrified her.
“I’ve never swam in my entire life ... I get goosebumps just looking at the water. I’m so afraid of water, but that day, I was determined to do anything possible to save that kid,” she said. Acting fast, she jumped in and grabbed the boy’s hand as he flailed, eventually carrying him safely back to her bus. "When he was struggling to breathe, I think he was pushing himself toward me, so I grabbed his hand, and I was like, 'Thank goodness. I got you.'"
After taking him to safety, Kaanyi called dispatch. Law enforcement arrived shortly afterward and found the boy on the bus, wrapped in towels. Ramsey County Sgt. Matt Marson said the child was soaking wet and nonverbal when found and possibly also had special needs. “She was integral in saving that child’s life,” Marson said. “[Without her], that child would’ve been probably dead in that water, just from exposure or maybe even drowning. She’s a hero, plain and simple.” Kaanyi, humble as ever, said, “This is what everybody should do. We need to live in a society whereby we care for one another.” Her bravery and quick thinking were formally recognized with a life-saving award, honoring the decisive actions that had prevented a potential tragedy.
Many times, ordinary people rise to do something extraordinary, as was shown in another incident when a bus driver noticed a young boy wandering alone during a heavy snowstorm. The child, who could not speak, had walked several blocks away from home, and the driver, named Ambrose Younge, quickly realized he needed help. “There was a child in the road, he was tugging on the handle of the door of a car… I don’t know what’s going on here,” the driver recalled. Despite the boy’s silence and anxious behavior, the driver calmly coaxed him onto the bus and contacted authorities. Within minutes, the boy was safely returned to his family. The driver later said, “I like the fact that I get to help people,” explaining that he acted instinctively to protect the autistic child in danger.
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