Drowning Couple Posed Dilemma For Toronto Doctor
Posted October 29, 2010 8:18 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A 47-year-old Toronto man faced the ultimate dilemma in a life-or-death rescue at sea – but in the end, the decision was made for him.
While on vacation last month in Turks and Caicos, Toronto doctor Mayer Yacowar was out snorkeling with his six-year-old son, Noah, when the waves started getting bigger – some reaching one metre high.
Noah was clinging to his side when they spotted a young couple – Shawn and Helen Ghalili, also from Toronto – struggling to stay afloat.
“One moment you’re healthy and swimming and enjoying the nature and the second you see the end of your life in front of your eyes,” Shawn Ghalili, 37, said on Friday.
Yacowar realized that to save them, he would have to let go of his son – a tough decision made more urgent because of the situation.
He asked Noah, who has been swimming since the age of two, if he could make it back to the boat on his own. Unwavering, Noah let go of his father.
“My son is my hero,” Yacowar said. “He told me it was okay to go ahead and take care of them and he let go of my arm. He did it himself.”
Noah swam a few metres ahead, while Yacowar towed the Ghalilis to safety, all while battling a heart condition himself.
“I was concerned that if something happened to me then there would be no one to take care of him,” Yacowar said.
Shawn Ghalili now shares a bond with the special family he hadn’t even met before finding himself in trouble in the water.
“There aren’t too many six-year-olds that would just let go of their dad and say, ‘Daddy, go ahead. Go save somebody else.’”
