A child with a big heart gave a Michigan police chief a small symbol of gratitude for recently helping save his father’s life.

The sincere gesture has stayed in the mind of Shepherd Police Chief Luke Sawyer since that day, reminding him “why we do what we do.”

According to a Facebook post by the Shepherd Police Department, Sawyer responded to a medical call of an adult male to provide further assistance. The chief was helping paramedics and EMTs at the scene when a little boy came up to him.

“As Chief stood there he felt a tug on his waist and it was Ryan, a new friend who he had just met a few minutes earlier,” the department shared.

Ryan’s dad was the patient. The 9-year-old boy then held out his hand and offered the dime.

“This is all I have to pay you, but thank you for saving my daddy’s life,” Ryan told the chief.

 It was a touching moment for Sawyer.

“As you can imagine the emotions and feels hit immediately. Chief told him thank you very much, but please keep his money. Ryan refused to take it back,” the post read.

Since that moment, the chief has held onto the gift as a reminder.

“Chief has kept that dime in his pocket for every shift he has worked since then as a reminder … of why we do what we do.”

Thankfully, the dad recovered and later met with Sawyer, accompanied by Ryan and Ryan’s mom. The police chief showed Ryan the dime that he has kept in his pocket since their encounter.

The Shepherd P.D. said that it was moments like these that motivate police officers to keep going: “There are absolutely times every police officer wants to walk away. There are times when we don’t feel like we are making a difference. There are times when the actions of a few get blamed on the whole.”