Lore
n Muth and a friend were at the right place at the right time. They rescued a young woman in trouble in the fast flowing Vedder River in August 2014.
Two young men received certificates of recognition for their heroic rescue efforts on the Vedder River at the City of Chilliwack Council meeting Tuesday.
Loren Muth and Kegan Madeira had freed Natisha Dunn from a log jam on the river earlier in the summer when she was holding on for her life in the fast flowing water.
Muth and Madeira stood before council as Mayor Sharon Gaetz presented the men with her thanks and certificates.
Dunn was in the audience with her family and teared up when the story of the rescue was recounted by Gaetz.
“I told them I can’t thank them enough,” Dunn said after the event. “I’m here because of them. I’m just very thankful, and I look at life a lot differently now – I appreciate everything.”
The waitress and mother recalled the day earlier in the summer when her dinghy deflated and left her in serious trouble.
“I figured that was it for me and I was praying and I looked up and they were there,” said Dunn.
“This is my first time seeing them since then, and I plan to get together once in a while with them.”
Muth, Madeira, and Dunn posed for pictures together before leaving City Hall.
“It felt like the right thing to do,” said Muth between photos. “It was automatic—just head over there and get her out. Without even really thinking, you just kind of do it.”
He says he was only initially worried about his own safety. But once the 25-year-old was committed, he was focused on their task at hand.
The other rescuer, Madeira, says the incident has changed him in some ways.
“I think I have a different appreciation about the river and also how you can impact a person’s life,” he said.
Original Article by Greg Laychak – Chilliwack Times
posted Aug 20, 2014