4-year-old Xander Vento was taken off life support after saving a 3-year-old girl from drowning.

On Monday, August 6, Xander came to the rescue after seeing a 3-year-old girl struggling to stay afloat in their neighborhood pool in Fort Wort, Texas. He was diligently trying to hold her head up while keeping them both afloat. Unfortunately, after getting tired of paddling, Xander himself was forced under water.

Rescuers later found him at the bottom of the pool. The little boy had a weak pulse and fell into a coma. He has been on life support at the Cook Children’s Medical center until Thursday, when his parents finally decided to let him go.

Xander’s parents, Cris and Misty Vento released the statement:

“We’ve made the extremely difficult decision to remove our precious son Xander from life support. We send heartfelt thanks to all of you who kept our family in your thoughts and prayers; we’re appreciative of your love and support.

We in some way hope our son’s life serves as an inspiration. He was the angel in the pool who sacrificed himself to save another. And now he continues to give as an organ donor. We were blessed to have such a kind and caring boy as Xander who set an example for all of us and even now he will be saving lives by giving of himself.”

The 3-year-old girl was unharmed and never lost consciousness, thanks to Xander’s heroic efforts. Xander’s mom and other adults were present at the scene, but no other details have been released.