Vote For Chattanooga's Hero Of The Year

A young man from Chattanooga has been chosen by the CNN network as one of the world's top ten heroes.

Jordan Thomas is now 20-years-old, and it was a life-changing event four years ago that led him to give new life to children who were severely injured.

During a rally at the Hunter Museum Friday Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey told the crowd of hundreds gathered "I hereby proclaim November 6, 2009 as Jordan Thomas day in Chattanooga and Hamilton County."

Thomas, a McCallie School grad, was chosen as a Top Ten CNN Hero among 9,000 others from 100 countries. This was his day to be recognized for what he has done - creating the Jordan Thomas Foundation.

"For 16 years I was an able-bodied normal kid and then in one instant my life changed for ever," Thomas said.

It was August 16, 2005 when Jordan and his family were on a boat five miles from the Florida Keys, about to go scuba diving when he jumped in the water.

"I remember being underneath the boat, I heard the engine go and I knew what had happened immediately," Thomas said. "I didn't feel pain and I had a sense of calm come over me that I never felt before, I can't explain it."

The boat propellers chewed up his legs and both were lost. His father and mother are doctors and they saved him from bleeding to death.

Jordan's rehab included getting a new pair of legs called prosthetics. During that time he realized a lot of children who lost limbs could not get what he could.

"My legs are $24,000 and a lot of insurance companies put a $5,000 cap on a lifetime, which is a small percentage because kids need new legs every 18 months," Thomas said.

Stan Patterson, a prosthetic specialist who worked with Thomas, said "Jordan decided to do something about that and that's what hero does, a hero promotes change."

Jordan started the Jordan Thomas foundation to raise money that will buy children new legs and arms that they wouldn't get otherwise. So far he's raised more than $400,000.

"The words really fall short in describing how really proud I am of Jordan," his father, Dr. Victor Thomas, said. "He's taken a horrendous event and turned it around and decided to make something positive out of it and that's the only thing you can ask as a parent that your child can respond to a challenge as the way he has."

Since Jordan was named a top ten CNN Hero he will be awarded $25,000. He will be eligible to win $100,000 if he gets enough votes from people like you to be named the hero of the year. He will appear in a star-studded CNN network special that will air Thanksgiving night at 9:00 p.m.

To vote for Jordan by November 18 go to www.cnn.com/Heroes