Deputy Saved Toddler. 15 Years Later, Teen Finds Way to Say Thank You

• Almost 15 years ago, Detective Sgt. Jeff Sheaman, then a new deputy, saved a 3-year-old boy who was found stranded with his family on a boat in a Wyoming reservoir
• The toddler, David Lew, fell unconscious because he was so cold, but quick action from Sheaman helped revive him
• Now a high school senior, the boy wrote a thank-you letter with a special request that moved Sheaman to tears, according to the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office

One stormy night in July 2010, Detective Sgt. Jeff Sheaman helped save a toddler’s life. Almost fifteen years later, the boy, now a high school senior, wrote a thank-you letter with a special request. 

“I asked if he’d come to graduation and hand me my diploma,” said 17-year-old David Lew, according to a press release from the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.

The letter had a huge impact on Sheaman, who is set to retire in May, the same month as Lew’s graduation ceremony. “In this line of work, you see a lot — some of it good, some of it crazy, and some of it heartbreaking,” Sheaman said.

“David reminds me of the good we can do,” he added. “His letter came at just the right time for me.”

Sheaman was new to his position as a deputy when he responded to a “late-night distress call” from Wyoming’s Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Green River over a decade ago.

The 3-year-old boy was with his dad Frank Lew, his uncle and his uncle’s friend when they became stranded on a bank after their boat’s engine failed, according to press clippings shared by the department.

After Frank requested help, Sheaman and two sergeants came to the family’s rescue on a river boat. During the trip back, a storm blew in and David lost consciousness because he was so cold.

Thinking quickly, Sheaman took off the little boy’s life jacket, put him against his chest and wrapped his own coat around the boy in order to keep him warm. David, who was treated for hypothermia at the hospital, made a total recovery. 

“Paramedics later credited Sheaman’s quick action with preventing advanced hypothermia,” the sheriff’s office said.

David, now 17 and working part-time at his parent’s restaurant before beginning his studies at Western Wyoming Community College in the fall, grew up hearing about the deputy who saved him — and wanted to send him the handwritten note to make sure Sheaman knew “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him.”

For Sheaman, receiving the letter was emotional.

“Out of all the people he could’ve asked, I’m grateful he wants me there by his side on graduation day,” he said.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Sheaman, who joked that he hopes he doesn’t trip on stage, is happy to know that his more than two decades of service have had an impact.

“This is what it’s all about,” he said. “Knowing I helped a kid grow up, graduate, and live a full life — I can retire happy picturing David walking across that stage.”