The story of two women from Langford who were complete strangers before working together in an effort to save the life of 17-year-old Keron McKay was remarkable, even though the youngster didn’t make it despite their best efforts.
A Black Press story by reporter Ben Fenlon that was published last week states that last June, McKay slipped under the water at Langford Lake and did not resurface, so Alison Ambroso and Rosy Hartman, who were also separately at the lake, sprang into action.
The two woman were able to get the teenager out of the water and onto the dock, where they gave him CPR until paramedics arrived and took over.
But McKay died in hospital a few days later as a result of his injuries from the drowning incident.
However, Ambroso and Hartman bonded over the incident and they were honoured recently by the Lifesaving Society of BC & Yukon at their Annual Commonwealth Awards for Honour and Rescue for the “remarkable bravery and teamwork” they showed that day.
They are using their experience to encourage people to exercise caution when taking to the water and make sure they know their limits.
Despite the death of McKay, what I find heartwarming about this tragic incident is that Ambroso and Hartman, who had never met before that day, have formed a close bond over their efforts to save the young man.
“I think had we met in other circumstances we would have been great friends,” said Ambroso.
“It really did feel like this experience bonded us in a way that was important and we are grateful for it.”
I’ve been reporting news for most of my working career, and after many decades, I have to admit a certain amount of cynicism as to many people’s true motives for doing anything builds up.
So I’m always drawn to stories in which strangers to each other like Ambroso and Hartman throw their own safety aside to try to save the life, or lives, of people they don’t even know.
It says a lot about human nature that I find encouraging.
I recall another incident that occurred about 15 years ago that actually drew tears from my eyes as I was covering it for the newspaper I was working for at the time.
I’ve written about it before, but it bears mentioning again.
A report came into the newsroom of a car that had careened over the embankment next to the Pearson Bridge in downtown Nanaimo in the middle of a cold January day and had ended up in the middle of the Millstone River.
By the time I arrived, police, a fire truck and ambulance crews were there and I could see they were wrapping several men in blankets and rushing them away to the hospital, and I wondered just how many people were in the car.
It turns out there was only one; an elderly man who either had a medical issue, or slid off the iced up road while attempting to cross the bridge.
The five men who I saw bundled up and sped away in ambulances tried their best to save him, but had failed.
The story I got was that a number of motorists saw the car take the plunge down the embankment and ran down the hill to help.
Apparently, the car floated in the water for a few minutes and the elderly driver was screaming for help before the car began sinking in the deep river.
The first guy down the hill dove into the freezing water fully clothed, swam to the car and began trying to break the car window.
Some of the other men had arrived and, seeing that the first guy was having trouble freeing the man from the car, they collected rocks and also jumped fully clothed into the water and made their way to the car.
By this time, the car had slid under the water and the would-be rescuers began diving after it.
By the time emergency personnel arrived, the men had been in the water for some time, but refused orders from the rescue crews to swim back to shore and continued their efforts.
They literally had to be dragged from the water before they collapsed from exposure and exhaustion, and all of them had to be rushed to the hospital themselves.
These men, who were also completely unknown to each other until that day, put their own lives at severe risk and worked together in a frantic, but unsuccessful, effort to save the elderly gentleman in the car, who they also didn’t know.
Probably unknown even to themselves that morning, the men were heroes, and they were recognized with medals from search and rescue groups a few months later.
I guess you never know what you're capable of until faced with a situation that requires you to put your own safety on the line.
