KOCHI: A 19-year-old youth who was swept out to sea by rip waves before being revived by two lifeguards stopped over at Cherai beach, over three months after the incident, to thank his “saviours”.
On the evening of October 8, lifeguards Jeffy K Paulose, 39, and Shajan P K, 50, noticed Christos Joshy struggling in the waves. The duo immediately swung into action and managed to pull the youth out.
“He was unconscious and had no pulse. But we didn’t lose hope, and administered five cycles of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Finally, we detected a faint pulse,” recounted Jeffy. They took Christos to a nearby hospital, but doctors there asked them to rush him to a city hospital as he required immediate ventilator support.
A native of Kannur who works in a restaurant in Ernakulam, Christos remained on ventilator support for four days, before making a gradual recovery at Lisie Hospital.
“The boy’s father used to call us over phone, saying his son hoped to meet us. However, we advised him complete rest. He went on to contract pneumonia and had to be hospitalised again,” Jeffy said.
Days rolled by and the Christos regained his health, and one of the first things he did was travel to Cherai beach to meet Jeffy and Shajan.
“It was a cheerful rendezvous on Thursday. We’re extremely happy to see him get back to health. He has also returned to his job at a city restaurant,” said a beaming Jeffy.