A BRAVE pensioner who saved a boy from drowning is concerned for the youngster's health and is appealing for his parents to contact him.

Eric Sullivan, 74, from Little Grove Field, Harlow, rescued the toddler from the River Lea in Broxbourne Meadows, two weeks ago. But the plucky pensioner has since been worried that the boy may have contracted a serious disease from the river water.

The boy's shocked parents disappeared after the incident and he has no means of contacting them. He has asked them to call him, to put his mind at rest.

Mr Sullivan said: "My concern is that the boy has not been vaccinated, because he could have caught anything from that water -- it was probably full of rats.

"I have had a hepatitis injection, but the doctor said that the little boy is more at risk from disease than I am.

''I really hope we find the little mite, because it's playing on my mind."

The heroic senior citizen was visiting the Broxbourne picnic area with his wife Elsie when she saw the boy fall into the 9ft deep river.

She alerted her husband who jumped in fully clothed, grabbed the boy, and kept his head above water until they reached the bank. The boy was then reunited with his terrified parents.

"The boy was shaking and in shock," explained Mr Sullivan, "And I'm concerned that he had the river water in his lungs, because he went under several times and he was coughing and spluttering."

The parents disappeared after the incident, but Mr Sullivan did find out they were Jewish. He and his wife have tried but failed to contact them through Broxbourne Council and local synagogues.

They are now hoping the family will recognise Mr Sullivan's photograph in the Citizen and contact the elderly couple to put their minds at rest.

Mr Sullivan has been warned that the symptoms of hepatitis are head and muscle ache, red eyes, loss of appetite, vomiting, skin rash and jaundice. He is praying the boy's family have been alerted about the disease.

Solely concerned for the boy's welfare, the pensioner is modest about his courageous deed, but his proud family have hailed him a hero.

His son Brian and daughter-in-law Kay rewarded his heroic deed by presenting their dad with a silver dolphin called Flipperman and a pen set.

Mr Sullivan said: "It was the first time I had swam for nearly five years because of my rheumatism and spondylitis in my back, but it was my instant reaction to jump in."

If you are the family of the little boy or know who it is ring the Citizen on 01992 572285.

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