In the middle of her apartment complex in Arapahoe County, Denver, there was a frozen pond in the center that Dusti Talavera could see from her apartment window. She witnessed a group of youngsters playing on the pond one Sunday afternoon and then saw a sudden splash.

Dusti ended herself in the center of the pond while attempting to rescue the children from the water before she recognized where she was.

Dusti put on her shoes and raced outside into the bitter air, where she landed on the 15-foot-deep pond where the children had fallen through the ice. She was successful in rescuing a child who was 4 years old and a guy who was 11 years old, but then she dove into the icy water herself in an effort to rescue a girl who was 6 years old.

During that horrific time, the only thing that she could focus on was getting the children out of danger.

Dusti, who is 23 years old, said this, “nobody was truly outdoors,  I had no doubt in my mind that I was the one who had to carry it out.”

She made an effort to extricate herself and the infant from the icy situation, but the ice was too slick. While Dusti was attempting to keep the unresponsive child’s head above the water’s surface, she had to tread water to keep herself afloat.

They were fortunate that a relative of the young girl, who was 16 years old rushed to their aid, threw them a rope, and dragged them to safety. Dusti expressed gratitude for the young guy who had thrown the rope by saying, “I have no idea what would have taken place otherwise.”

The young woman and the man who saved her got it to the surface in the end, but when they did, the former was no longer breathing and had no pulse.

Immediately upon the arrival of emergency personnel at the site, Deputy David Rodriguez removed the girl’s drenched winter coat and began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her in an effort to get her to breathe on her own.

As the girl’s breathing improved, she was transported to Children’s Hospital, where she was allegedly being treated and her status was described as “stable.” The two more children who were involved in the event did not sustain any injuries as a result, and they are now doing well at home.

Cory Sudden, who works with South Metro Fire Rescue, was overcome with emotion when he presented Dusti with an award for the life-saving act she performed. “I am the mother of four sons, and, goodness, I hope that if something happened to one of [my sons], that someone like her was near by.”

Dustie reportedly told the authorities that she “wasn’t worried about her safety since they were infants and they needed attention.”