Heroes come in all shapes; this couldn’t be more true for a little girl whose big brother pushed all fear aside and bravely weathered the fire that had engulfed their home. When asked what made him jump into action, he had the sweetest response.
Keishuana Banks, from Salisbury, Maryland, loved her children with all her heart and soul. As a mother, even the mere thought of them being in trouble sent shivers down her spine. But on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, she experienced something that turned her world topsy-turvy.
On that day, Banks said she went to the grocery store to buy food for her family’s Thanksgiving dinner and was on her way home when she received a call from her best friend. Following the brief phone conversation, she left everything and hurried back as soon as possible.
While Banks was at the store, her two children, Laprentis Doughty and Loyalty Doughty were home, waiting for their mom’s return, when the unthinkable happened. At about 6 p.m., a fire broke out on the second floor of a two-story Salisbury apartment building in Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
In the wake of the Salisbury family’s ordeal, a good Samaritan stepped forward to ease their troubles and trigger a chain reaction of kindness.
The horrific fire reportedly impacted two out of eight apartments, which were rendered uninhabitable. Local fire officials confirmed that organizations such as The Red Cross were dedicated to helping the affectees.
The blaze was said to have been extinguished within 10 minutes and also affected the Doughty siblings. The authorities revealed that initially, Laprentis fled the building when he heard the smoke alarms going off, but something made him retreat soon afterward.
His baby sister, Loyalty, was still inside, so without a second thought, he ran back to the burning building to rescue her. Laprentis confessed that had he not hurried back, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself. He added:
“If I didn’t save my sister, I would be mad at myself because I could’ve saved her easily.”
But that wasn’t all—Laprentis said that if need be, he would gladly jeopardize his life for Loyalty. Thanks to his sheer bravery, selflessness, and heroism, the 11-year-old boy was able to carry his two-year-old sister out to safety.
The Mom’s Reaction
While rescuing his little sister, Laprentis suffered burns on his arms, but his injuries were declared minor and didn’t need immediate medical care. When Banks reached the scene and learned everything, she had nothing but praise for her courageous boy. She expressed:
“I feel bad because I don’t know how to reward him right now. I praise him and let him know, ‘Do you know you did a good job?'”
Banks admitted that she was still trying to grapple with everything and was recovering from the shock. Salisbury Mayor Jake Day also appreciated Laprentis and said he had a surprise planned for him in recognition of his valor and heroism.
The GoFundMe Account
While holding his baby sister in his arms, Laprentis had nothing but gratitude and relief; he was relieved to have rescued Loyalty in time and grateful that all his family was safe and together to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Banks created a crowdfunding page after the harrowing blaze that caused almost $250,000 in damage to the building and an additional $40,000 to its contents. As of November 28, over $12,100 had been raised, and more donations continue to pour in. She wrote on the GoFundMe account:
“My son rescued his baby sister from our apartment that caught fire due to electrical issues in result we lost everything except for the clothes that we had on our backs…We are devastated and in need of help for clothing and shelter(sic).”
A Good Samaritan Stepped Forward
In the wake of the Salisbury family’s ordeal, a good Samaritan stepped forward to ease their troubles and trigger a chain reaction of kindness. On November 24, Blair Carey from Berlin, Maryland, turned to Facebook to request the community to help Banks and her children get back on their feet.
The Berlin resident requested people to rally in the family’s support and even shared Banks, LaPrentis, and Loyalty’s sizes for clothing and shoes. The emotional post showed Carey sitting next to the brave boy, who he praised in these words:
“I got a chance to meet and chat with a hero this morning, La’Prentis Doughty of Salisbury. An 11 year old young MAN who turned back into a burning building yesterday to save his 2 year old sisters’ life…Selfless love for another and incredible bravery…Laprentis is built different (sic)!”
Carey mentioned that while he had taken care of the housing, Banks and her kids still required clothes, furniture, and anything else that people could willingly provide to help them return to normal. His Facebook post received an overwhelming response from netizens and was widely shared.
Grateful for the Support
In a follow-up post on November 27, Carey thanked everyone on behalf of Banks and her kids for generously donating to the crowdfunding page and sharing clothes, furniture, and other home essential items. He wrote:
“It’s so cool to see the community come together like this! Keishauna, La’Prentis and Loyalty are all extremely grateful they wanted me to make sure everyone knew that.”
Loyalty is fortunate to have a protective big brother like Laprentis and a caring mother like Banks. We would also like to give a massive shoutout to Mr. Carey for his beautiful heart and for how he went the extra mile to help a family in need.
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