Emergency rescue personnel such as lifeguards and paramedics are the quiet heroes who often bear an unimaginable weight in pursuit of saving lives.
A lot of times the last they see those they rescue is at the place of the emergency or when they are rushed to hospital. Saving lives is a job they do without expecting a ‘thank you’.
But a near-drowning incident in January, where emergency workers saved three lives, still brings a smile to Netcare 911 emergency care practitioner Ernest Marx, who received not only a thank you for his compassion and care, but was reunited with the one he saved during a time of despair.
On January 2, three swimmers, ensnared in powerful currents off Cape Town’s Glen Beach in Camps Bay, found themselves in a perilous situation. Teams, including lifeguards from the City of Cape Town, paramedics from Western Cape Emergency Services, and Netcare 911, were called in to save lives.
“Two swimmers were safely assisted to shore, but there was heightened worry for the third swimmer, 23-year-old Bradley Armenville, as he hovered on the brink of life and death. Bradley, along with another near-drowning victim, had entered the water to aid a youngster who got swept away by the current,” recalled Marx.
After pulling the swimmers from the ocean, lifeguards initiated chest compressions, later handing over to paramedics to continue resuscitation and advanced life support on Armenville.
“I am thankful and overwhelmed by all of this. To think that there were so many people who fought so hard to keep me alive. I just want to say thank you to them for everything they did for me.”
Marx recalled the difficult conversation he had with Armenville’s father, Basil, on the beach that fateful day.
“Bradley’s condition was dire, but his father’s conviction that his son would survive held firm. ‘God is testing us,’ he said, words that later unfolded in Bradley’s incredible recovery.”
In a season where not all misadventures had such happy endings, this reunion vividly paints a picture of resilience and the joy of a second chance at life. Most importantly, it serves as a tribute to the power of teamwork.
“This encounter is truly heartwarming for members of the emergency services — it was a beautiful moment for us when we met up with the family and a healthy, vibrant Bradley. We’re so happy that he has recovered so well, and it means a lot to us that he has taken the time to reach out to us,” said Marx.
“After some time, spontaneous circulation fortunately returned, but the patient was not out of the woods,” said Marx. “With time as a critical factor, an emergency medical helicopter from AMS airlifted the unconscious Armenville to Groote Schuur Hospital, where against all odds, he began a remarkable recovery.”
But on a rare occasion in the life of an emergency worker Marx and Armenville were recently reunited. This is after Armenville and his family contacted Marx, “expressing a heartfelt wish to personally meet the entire team to convey their profound gratitude for saving Bradley’s life”.
In an event attended by Patricia van der Ross, the City of Cape Town’s MMC for community services and health, and a large group of lifeguards, emergency rescue and medical services personnel — who were present on the day Armenville almost drowned — the soft-spoken young man was filled with gratitude and was overjoyed to meet the people who saved his life.
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