When you imagine spending a day at the beach with your
family, risking your life probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
For one Washington girl, though, a casual outing turned into a life-changing
event.
In a recent Associated Press article,
Jeff Barnard reports a case in which 12-year-old Nicole Kissel
took her life in her hands when she heard a cry for help. Another child,
Charles “Dale” Ostrander, was drowning in the ocean.
Despite her father’s cries not to go after Dale and risk her
own safety, Nicole went against the current and helped Dale onto her boogie
board to help him back to the shore. In the AP interview afterward, Nicole said
that she thought they would die on the way back as waves crashed around them.
Before they returned, though, a wave hit the children, and
Dale was not able to get back on the board. Rescuers pulled Dale from the waves
and performed CPR. Though he had been under water for nearly 30 minutes, the
boy pulled through with a miraculous recovery at a children’s hospital.
Nicole visited Dale and his family at the hospital. When
asked if she had any second thoughts about her rescue mission, she told ABC
News, “When someone is about to drown or someone needs help, you don’t really
think about it before you’re about to help them.”
If Nicole had not been brave enough to help Dale when she
heard his call, he may not have been rescued in time. Her selfless, fearless
actions are an example for all of us to follow.
BY MEGHAN DEMARIA ON 8/22/2011 12:00:00 AM
POSTED IN In the News, Get Inspired