For years, Alison Ambroso and Rosy Hartman had gone about their lives in Langford separately, complete strangers to each other. But fate threw them together in June last year, bonding the two women for life.
When 17-year-old Belmont Secondary student Keron McKay slipped under the water at Langford Lake and did not resurface, the pair sprang into action.
Working together using their lifesaving skills, Ambroso and Hartman 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.
Sadly, days later McKay died as a result of his injuries from the drowning incident in hospital, surrounded by his family.
“I'm grateful that we were able to pull him out of the lake and give his family a little bit more time in hospital with him,” said Hartman.
McKay’s death sparked change in the community, with a Langford couple purchasing five life rings to be installed at the lake. The City of Langford also obtained life rings and signage from the Lifesaving Society for other popular swimming spots in the area.
“That to me … was one of the most devastating takeaways of just the whole scene,” said Ambroso about the lack of life rings at Langford Lake that day in June. “People were so paralyzed because they didn't have any tools or any resources or anything to act with.”
Now 10 months on, Ambroso and Hartman are hoping their story can inspire more change in the community as the summer months approach and more people are tempted to enjoy the outdoors.
When the pair found out they were to be honoured 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 did not know how to feel.
“It was one of those things where initially you think this sounds really nice, and then you remember why and what the outcome was, then it doesn't feel so good,” said former lifeguard Ambroso.
Hartman shares the same sentiment. “A lot of the folks who received those rescue awards, they've saved a person, there’s this incredible story – ‘look at the life that they saved’ – but for us it was not that outcome,” she says.
The two women chose not to attend the March ceremony, instead electing to acknowledge their award in a way that helps others and honours McKay’s life.
Using the news of their award, Ambroso and Hartman are encouraging everyone to stop and think before diving into open water.
“Know your skill set and your strengths,” says Hartman, who also wants parents to have serious conversations with their children about lake swimming and succumbing to peer pressure to get in the water.
“Make sure your kids know their limits and have the swimming skills they need … plus the confidence to say no if their friends are going in the water.”
“The reality is that lake swimming is very different than swimming in a pool,” adds Ambroso. “Do not underestimate the [cold] temperature of water and its depth.”
Parents and guardians also need to stay vigilant when children are in the water, say Ambroso and Hartman, especially in swimming spots where large numbers of people gather with inflatables.
“There's so many blind spots,” says Ambroso. “People aren't necessarily aware of how many opportunities there are … where we can lose sight of them very easily.”
“When someone is drowning, it's really quiet,” adds Hartman. “It’s not somebody screaming and yelling and flailing, it’s really quick.”
Alongside increased awareness about the risks of lake swimming, they also encourage everyone to learn to swim and, where possible, learn lifesaving skills – but always know your limitations.
“One of the things that I was grateful for that day is that the other kids didn't jump in and try and do something that was beyond their skills,” says Ambroso. “Because that can be really detrimental as well.
“So get the skills, of course, but also know your limits and don't try to do something beyond your skill level.”
Since that day at Langford Lake in June, Ambroso and Hartman have remained in contact but have not seen each other in person.
To share their message of water safety, the pair reunited for the first time at Langford Lake, days after what would have been the Lifesaving Society’s award ceremony.
“It feels strange, surreal,” said Hartman about seeing Ambroso after 10 months. “I think it's like a trauma bond."
Steps away from where the drowning incident occurred, Hartman remembers the moment the paramedics took over. "We just like sat on the ground beside each other with our arms around each other crying. It was like this immediate support, I really felt that ... I was grateful to have someone to share that with."
“Even though we haven't connected in person before today, it's felt like Rosy is the only other person who sort of understands what the ongoing experience and impact of this has been,” Ambroso adds, noting the two have discovered they have a lot in common.
“I think had we met in other circumstances we would have been great friends. It really did feel like this experience bonded us in a way that was important and we were grateful for.”
For more water safety tips, visit the Lifesaving Society website: www.lifesaving.bc.ca/watersmart-education/water-safety.
