HOUSTON - A weekend party turned scary when a toddler ended up at the bottom of a pool, but it was a little girl who jumped in and saved him.
Sofia Patel started swimming early in life.
"It was hard at first," admitted the 7-year-old swimmer.
She began lessons at Houston Swim Club in Pearland at just 3 years old, never imagining the skills she learned would save someone's life.
"When I saw him I said, 'I need to save that kid because no one else could save him' because I was underwater at that moment," she said.
The second grader was at a weekend party at a neighbor's home when the toddler fell in the pool.
"I went underwater and grabbed him with this hand and then I got him to a low step because, I couldn't carry him no more and then the adults came and did everything else," said Sofia.
EXCLUSIVE: 7-year-old swimmer saves toddler who fell into backyard pool. At 10, her inspiring story @houstonswimclub #KHOU11 #HouNews pic.twitter.com/ZBASYBWPiP
— Grace White (@GraceWhiteKHOU) October 14, 2017
The toddler's parents started CPR and it wasn't until an ambulance came, Sofia's parents learned how much her swimming skills paid off.
"The mother of the little boy came over and gave Sofia a hug and said 'Thank you for saving my little boy's life' and we were like what? My daughter did that," said Tejal Patel, Sofia's mother.
"It felt awesome, because I could finally put my swimming lessons to use for once," said Sofia.
Back in the pool, she's still sharpening her skills and thankful what she's learning came in handy.
"It makes me happy that I saved someone's life," she said.
The toddler's family asked not to be identified. However, they told KHOU 11 they're incredibly grateful for the brave response that saved their little boy's life.