CORNWALL, Ontario – A St. Andrews woman who nearly drowned while on vacation with her grandson in Bermuda is crediting another Canadian with saving her life.
Marguerite Rabouin was vacationing on a private beach just last week and while swimming with her grandson Aidan became trapped in a rip current – a strong, localized, and rather narrow stream of water that can pull swimmers beneath the surface to their death.
“He came up and he was spitting out water,” said Rabouin. “He was panicking.”
The quick-thinking 56-year-old grabbed Aidan as best she could and thrust him towards shore.
But in the process she aggravated a previous rib injury. With pain coursing through her torso, Rabouin was unable to escape the rip current herself and began to get sucked under.
“I got caught,” she said. “I yelled to Aidan to get help. And I started yelling at people on the beach – but no one was taking me seriously.”
No one except for AJ Darby, an 18-year-old Nova Scotian who only recently moved to Bermuda.
Darby dove into the water and with Rabouin going down for what she thought was the last time, pulled her to safety.
“He saved my life, no question,” said Rabouin. “I’m sure without him…I really don’t think I had the voice to yell again. I was exhausted.”
In the confusion of the moment Rabouin simply thanked Darby, but it wasn’t until the incident began to sink in that she realized how close she came to death, and how important Darby was in saving her life.
The two briefly found each other later that day, and discovered something else in common — a strong connection to Nova Scotia. Rabouin lived in Nova Scotia for more than 20 years and still keeps a house in Amherst.
Rabouin, after returning home, was finally able to reconnect with her hero via Facebook.
Darby has taken his hero status in stride.
“I was just at the right place, at the right moment. I just got on the beach, and once I heard you, I did it without thinking,” he wrote to Rabouin on Facebook. “The undertow is very strong and I hope parents, and people are aware now.”
