7-4 A Teen Hero

Marcos: Oh man, I'm so nervous. This is just...

Ellen: You should be nervous. You're on television. It would be weird if you weren't nervous. But now relax, okay?

Marcos: All right, all right.

Ellen: All right, sit back, just act like there's nothing wrong. I mean, this is cool. This is nothing compared to going into a burning house.

Marcos: Yeah, I guess.

Ellen: So, um, and you're wearing your... you're a football player, right?

Marcos: Yes.

Ellen: What's your position?

Marcos: Corner. And that's defense.

Ellen: Oh good, good. So, so you get home from... you were coming home from school and football practice, right?

Marcos: Yeah, yeah.

Ellen: And at what point did you realize your house, the neighbor's house was on fire?

Marcos: Um, we had turned... like we came outside, me and my dad, and we turned... we came around our corner and the house was just... like it was a glow. And I thought it was like the sun, the sun setting. And I turned my head more and I'm like, "Wait, Dad, the house is on fire." So we ran over and that's when we found out the house was on fire.

Ellen: The house is on fire. And someone was running out of the house, right? Who was running out?

Marcos: Yeah, the... um, when we were running over, my dad's like, "Call 911." And I was like, "I've never called 911 before." So I was like, "I don't know what to say."

Ellen: Just in future, anybody who hasn't called, you just say what's happening. You just say... you don't really think about chatting. You're like, "House is on fire." That's... that's enough.

Marcos: Yeah. And so I see the mom running out and I'm like, "Do you have 911?" And she's like, "Yeah." And so I hung up and my dad and I had run into the house and we see the dad coming down the stairs.

Ellen: So, so the dad was coming downstairs. There's smoke everywhere. And then you realized that there was still an eight-year-old kid upstairs, right?

Marcos: Yeah, he come down... he came down the stairs and he just had like soot all over his face and smoke and he was coughing and he couldn't say anything.

Ellen: The father.

Marcos: Yeah, the father. And he said, "Son," and pointed upstairs. And so my dad ran upstairs and I had said, "Wait, Dad, let me go. I might be faster." I didn't... I didn't have a shirt on or shoes. And so I thought it was... and he had a coat on. I thought he would... he might get hotter. So I asked him and he said, "No, I'll go." So...

Ellen: All right. And so at some point then you had a ladder and you got to the window, right?

Marcos: Yeah, yeah. Um, my dad had was pounding on the door and he tried to open it, but the kid had locked himself in there. And so he was coming down the stairs and as he was coming down the stairs, the grandma had a ladder and I grabbed the ladder and I went outside and I propped it up on the window... next to the window and climbed up and I was halfway... like halfway up and he was holding the ladder at the bottom, my dad. And I grabbed the kid and I said...

Ellen: So the kid was at the top. What's his name, the eight-year-old?

Marcos: Cody.

Ellen: So Cody was at the window waiting, trying to get out, right?

Marcos: Yeah, yeah. And I told him to come out feet first and we climbed down the ladder together and I had my arm around him so he was secure. And then their neighbor was standing like a couple steps down and I grabbed him and handed him to her.

Ellen: Wow. Um, amazing, first of all, that you did that. And, uh, your parents are in the audience. You've got to be so proud of him, right?

Marcos's Dad: Absolutely, we are.

Ellen: So, so does this... I understand now when you... what do you want to be when you grow up?

Marcos: I just think of me being like a fireman maybe.

Ellen: Kind of influences you to be a firefighter?

Marcos: Yeah, I think it'd be fun.

Ellen: That's amazing. That's amazing. You don't have to decide right now. You've got time.

All right, so and also I know your favorite college football team is...

Marcos: The Oregon Ducks.

Ellen: The Oregon Ducks. And, uh, we're huge Ducks fans around here too. And in all the ways. Um, so the University of Oregon is giving you two tickets and a VIP package to go see one of their games.

Marcos: Oh my god.

Ellen: Also, we've been partnering with Shutterfly this season to reward amazing people like you and they heard your story and they want to get your college savings started with a check for $10,000.

Marcos: Oh my god.

Ellen: That is great. That is great. All right, you're a good guy. You're a good guy. We'll be right back.

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