Kent State Student to get Red Cross Hero Award

The student who in the Cuyahoga River will receive a Red Cross Hero Award for his efforts.

Eric Johnston will be among the heroes recognized Monday at the Red Cross of Greater Cleveland's annual heroes luncheon.

Todd and Jennifer Fisher nominated Johnston for the award after , Madelyn, from the river in May.

Johnston will be among 15 honorees recognized Monday from across Northeast Ohio.

Madelyn, 9, had been playing on some flat stones in the pool area just south of the Main Street Bridge and behind the Stone Arch Dam when she fell in. The roaring water quickly swept her through the old canal lock and downstream.

Johnston sprinted down the boardwalk from Heritage Park to River Edge Park trying to reach a shallow part of the river so he could wade out after her. As he ran, Johnston's friends called 911.

He reached a low point in the river near the Silk Mill Apartments where he waded in and pulled her out.

"I will always remember his face and his incredible kindness," Todd Fisher said in a previous interview.