UPDATE: Following an overwhelming response to the story, the Cormier/Manuel family says they have established a campaign fundraiser to help underprivileged kids enroll in summer swimming lessons.

If you would like to help, contact Nadea Manuel at 337-417-0253.

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) When 7-year-old De’ Undrick Cormier Jr., went to his cousin’s weekend birthday pool party, he was expecting to be just a regular kid having fun with a few close family members and friends.

Instead, he became a superhero, after he saved a 4-year-old family friend from drowning.

De’ Undrick told KLFY that he had just jumped into the pool when he saw his 4-year-old friend at the bottom.

” I jumped in the pool, and that’s when I saw him. So I swam to the bottom and I put his arm around my shoulder and pulled him up.”

According to De’ Undrick’s grandmother, Nadea Manuel, De’ Undrick enjoys swimming and became a really good swimmer at a very young age.

” I would say around the age of 1 he was swimming very well, so at 4 his mother put in swimming lessons to master it.”

Over the weekend, those swimming lessons paid off when he found himself in the right place at the right time.

” I heard De’ Undrick’s step-brother, Zayne Hebert, yelling that someone was drowning in the pool, so we all ran over and that’s when we found De’ Undrick, and he had already pulled the child up and they were at the edge of the pool.”

Manuel said it was a relief because the child was still alert, and in good condition, but it was also scary because his lips were blue.

“We started patting his back and the water started flowing out of his mouth, so we all did a collective sigh of relief,” Manuel said.

“The world stopped for me at that moment.”

De’ Undrick said however that he remained calm throughout the ordeal and is happy his friend is okay.

“Im happy he is ok, when I saw him at the bottom I knew I could save him.”

Manuel said family members gave De’ Undrick a card with money and treated him to a new bicycle for his heroic action.

“He’s our superhero, but he was also someone’s guardian angel.”