Josh Hassan, 12, was leaning over the railing near his home in Romford, Essex, to look for his football when he lost his footing and became impaled on the fence.
His horrified mother was helped by neighbours to support his body to stop the blade doing further damage as they waited for the emergency services to arrive and cut him free.
Dawn Hassan told of her horror at discovering her son 'hanging' from the fence after being alerted by his screams.
'It took three of us to hold him up so the spike didn't do any more damage,' she said.
'But Josh was so brave. He didn't cry once. He was a right little soldier.'
The mother-of-two, 30, said waiting for paramedics and firefighters to cut her son free from the fence 'felt like an eternity'.
Josh was rushed to hospital with the blade still piercing his chest, and doctors later told the family the spike had missed his heart by less than three inches.
A photograph of Josh's injury and an X-ray scan showing the enormous spike in his chest reveal the extent of his lucky escape.
The schoolboy had been playing outside when he kicked his football over the spiked metal gate around the corner from his house.
Leaning over the fence to see how far the ball had gone, Josh slipped and was speared by the steel shaft which pierced his flesh.
His mother said: 'He's the kind of child who's more worried about everybody else than what's happening to him.
'I can't thank the people who helped him enough. They're our heroes. If it wasn't for them Josh might not be here now.
'The doctors said the spike was only two and a half inches away from his heart,' she went on.
'I still can't believe he climbed over the fence in the first place. He's not a daring child. He was just seeing where his ball went.
'And for that to happen - he won't be climbing over any fences in the future,' she added.
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