It Was a Mellow Day at the Beach, But What Happened Next Changed Everything
This past Easter (Semana Santa) we sent a team of 17 volunteers to lifeguard 4 beaches in Nicaragua; La Boquita, Huehuete, Poneloya, and Jiquillio. Semana Santa in Nicaragua is a national holiday celebration traditionally associated with massive beach crowds, dangerous surf and ocean conditions, and multiple drowning events. During the holiday, we shared lifesaving techniques and helped prevent drownings alongside the Nicaraguan Red Cross.
But one particular event left a lasting impression on everyone…
“It was a mellow weekend when things took a turn for an action-packed streak of adrenaline with my partner Chris Angelotti. A dark cloud followed us but we wouldn’t let it hold us down. We were making non-stop rescues, we didn’t know when it would end.” – Nick Schriver
“We were alerted to a problem in the water by a man yelling something in Spanish which instinctively caused me to look in his direction. I saw a man holding the arm of a limp body just a few feet from the shore. We ran to the man and began to pull him to dry sand to begin the assessment. Once on dry land, Nick had the bag valve mask (BVM) and started the assessment quickly realized that the victim was not breathing. He pulled out the bag valve mask and instructed one of the Nicaraguan Red Cross volunteers to check for a pulse. He had a pulse, but was not breathing.
Nick opened his airway and we began to provide ventilation. After a few ventilation’s the victim began to make an effort to breathe on his own. Even though he began to breathe on his own he was not getting enough oxygen to his lungs. We continued to use the bag valve mask for about 2 more minutes until the victim started to try to talk. We removed the BVM and Nick began to ask the victim questions to obtain his level of consciousness. The victim knew his name and the date, but not where he was. At this point, we put the victim on a backboard and put him in the ambulance where they took him for further care.” – Chris Angelotti
With their skills, training, the ability to act calmly and quickly in an emergency situation our two ISLA lifeguards Nick Schriver and Chris Angelotti and the Nicaraguan Red Cross lifeguards resuscitated a drowning victim at Jiquilillo and saved his life.
“My training kicked in and I instinctively jumped into action. My adrenaline was pumping and my training allowed me to play a part in saving a mans life. It was an experience I will never forget.” – Chris Angelotti
“The whole trip was one of the most fulfilling things I have done in my life. Meeting the Nicaraguan volunteers and experiencing their way of life and how they lifeguard opened my eyes and made me realize why I love to lifeguard! The resuscitation was just icing on the cake.” – Chris Angelotti
“We fulfilled our mission with ISLA, we did what we came to do and accomplished more than what we would have expected. We trained, shared ideas, lifeguarded side-by-side with the Nicaraguans, made many rescues that saved many lives. It’s an honor to know what we did made a significant impact and difference. Our work may be done for now but we’ll be back for more. We are lifeguards, resuscitationists, and humanitarians.” – Nick Schriver
Did you know that around the globe, 2 people drown every minute? This is a statistic that is not only recognized by the World Health Organization as an epidemic, but one that needs to stop!
DROWNING IS PREVENTABLE!
And these deaths can be prevented through awareness, education and taking action. Want to help us take action to #StopDrowning ?
