Rescued angler thanks Porthcawl RNLI for gift of life this Christmas
The family of Mike Hall feared he wouldn’t see another Christmas, after he was knocked over by the force of the water whilst fishing in the Ogmore estuary. He was unconscious and not breathing when Porthcawl RNLI volunteers arrived.
Tireless efforts to bring him back to life has meant he is still here today to celebrate the festivities with his family.
The dad of two from Tewksbury has defied all the odds and after a long recovery process is now wanting to piece together the details and has said a special festive thank you to the volunteers who saved his life.
Mike had been immersed in the water for several minutes after being knocked off his feet whilst wading in the estuary. He was pulled to the safety of the shore by members of the public and CPR was started. When the RNLI crew from Porthcawl arrived on scene during the incident in October 2019, they found Mike unresponsive on the shore. In a race against time, with the incoming tide, the crew carried out CPR in a desperate bid to bring him back to life.
Paramedics, Coastguard teams from Llantwit Major and Porthcawl all offered assistance and a rescue helicopter from St Athan was also in attendance.
Porthcawl RNLI volunteer crew member Angharad Masson, who is also a nurse, spent vital minutes with her volunteer crew team giving Mike the very best chance of survival. He was rushed to Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend and the volunteer crew did fear the very worst due to the amount of time he’d spent in the water.
After being placed into a coma, Mike spent 10 days in hospital and then took two month away from work. Remarkably, he has now made a full recovery.
Now back to full health, Mike, who recalls nothing of the incident was keen to watch footage of the fateful day and thank the crew had worked so hard to save his life.
Mike says:
‘I remember my waders filled quickly, I was incredibly cold and became immersed in the water. That’s the last thing I remember.
‘Coming to terms with how close I came to dying is something both myself and my family have taken time to process. I just felt we all needed to try and piece together what had happened that day and being at Porthcawl is part of us all healing and moving forward.
‘Meeting the crew is truly humbling. To think these people are volunteers and put all their skills, training and knowledge into play that day is why I’m still here. Meeting complete strangers who really did save my life that day has made my Christmas. I honestly don’t think I’d have seen one more Christmas had it not been for them. I’ll be forever in their debt.’
The reunion comes as the RNLI launches its annual Christmas fundraising appeal, with a focus on the generations of families who have volunteered their time and commitment 24/7, 365 days a year, to ensure the charity’s lifesaving service has continued for nearly 200 years.
On average, RNLI lifeboats launch over 100 times during the Christmas period* every year. Whatever weather winter throws at them, RNLI crews are ready to battle the elements to save lives at sea. These rescues, and others all year round, are only made possible by the RNLI’s generous supporters, helping to fund the essential kit, training and equipment needed by lifeboat crews.
Anghard Masson, who was on the Atlantic 85 lifeboat during the rescue says:
‘People don’t just come back to life. There were moments we were all amazed at Mike’s fight for life and despite how long he’d been in the water, seeing him trying to breath for himself was an incredible feeling. When he was taken away in the ambulance, we knew we’d done our best but we knew how poorly he was and were expecting the worst.
‘As volunteers, once we’ve carried out a rescue, we rarely hear of what happened next, so seeing Mike come through the door and being able to give him a hug was the most amazing feeling. We joked he looked so much better than when we last saw him! Thanks to our training and equipment and everyone working together as a team that day – we saved his life – and that’s some Christmas gift!’
To make a donation to the RNLI’s Christmas Appeal, and enable the charity to continue its lifesaving work, visit: RNLI.org/WinterAppeal
ENDS
*’Christmas period’ refers to 24 – 31 December inclusive
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