We’ve all heard about the little boy who miraculously survived more than fifteen minutes in a rip current off a Washington state beach last Friday. Ostrander, who goes by the nickname Dale, wasn’t breathing when he came out of the water but he’s awake and talking to his family today, in part thanks to Nicole Kissel.
Kissel, who is twelve, just like Ostrander, didn’t hesitate when she saw that he was in trouble. She was boogie boarding in the surf on Friday when she heard Ostrander’s cries for help. She turned her board into the churning waves and went after him, despite her father’s cries that it was too dangerous for her (which it was).
Kissel reached Ostrander and helped him on to her three foot board. It was a struggle to stay afloat, and Kissel recalls to the AP that she felt overwhelmed:
“When we were on that board, I kind of shouted out to myself: ‘We’re going to die. I can’t die like this,’” Kissel told the AP.
It was Dale Ostrander who kept her going, according to the little girl. He told her: “Keep paddling. We’re almost there.”
Then a rogue wave hit, driving the children apart. Kissel managed to make it to her board, but Ostrander had disappeared. By the time rescuers found him fifteen minutes later he was floating face down under the water.
Kissel may not have managed to get Ostrander to safety, but her brave plunge to help may have offered him a few key minutes more of air that were likely the difference between life and death. It’s unclear how long Ostrander was deprived of oxygen, so there is a good chance he’ll suffer some brain damage, but there is some hope that yet another miracle will help him reach full recovery.
Kissel visited Ostrander on Wednesday, and, though he seemed to have trouble focusing his eyes for most of the visit, she says he met her eyes just as she was leaving and spoke two words:
“Thank you.”
