Willing to risk his life
Years ago, between graduating from nursing school and starting my first real job + getting married, I went out on a friend's boat. It was May which in Michigan means the lake is barely free of ice, about 10 degrees Celcius.
Long story short, we capsized during an electrical storm. We quickly became hypothermic and weren't thinking straight. Some of my only lucid memories are realizing the three of us were probably going to drown. No one knew where we were or even that we were out.

Shore was about a mile away and as the strongest swimmer, I decided I would go for help--incredibly stupid as I most likely would have slipped under the waves before getting 1/2 way there.

Some kind soul had not only seen us go over, but called the Coast Guard to rescue us and had rowed out in a dinghy to keep our heads above water til the CG could find us. (It was a BIIIIG lake) Out of nowhere, this skinny little young man rowed up, clipped himself to a rope and jumped into the freezing water to round us up and keep us from going under during the storm. The waves were breaking over our heads and one of us was so cold and confused she was trying to get out of her life jacket.

He must have stayed with us for 20, 30 minutes talking to us and slapping us awake til the CG cutter heaved to and dragged us out. I don't remember if we thanked him or not-I hope we did.

I have the image forever burned into my memory of his little tucked up body in midair backlit by the lightning just frozen in time, jumping out of a dry rowboat into the drink to help 3 strangers. He could very easily have died.
(TDub Nunc id vides, nunc ne vides on, Fri 3 Oct 2008, 9:13, 5 replies)

Wow thats incredible!!!
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Fri 3 Oct 2008, 9:42, closed)

That is amazing.
I kind of hope in the same situation we would all do the same.
( girlinthehole, Fri 3 Oct 2008, 10:31, closed)

Amazing
just amazing
(TheWeeWitch hasn't been here much recently .., Fri 3 Oct 2008, 16:14, closed)

I never saw him again
I don't even remember his face very well, just that he was slight and short and very young-early 20's maybe. I do think about him often and wonder how he is.

This is also why I can't see Leo and Kate in "Titanic" even though a friend of my childhood has a nice part in it. I remember being in the cold water and realizing there was no way to help myself. The movie's a little too real.
(TDub Nunc id vides, nunc ne vides on, Sat 4 Oct 2008, 5:58, closed)

Crikey!
Not only a nice thing, but incredibly brave too.
( chart cat has an itch, Wed 8 Oct 2008, 5:54, closed)