A life saved....

My parents had three children; two girls and then a boy. Ironically, my sister and brother and I all have three children of our own. That is, we did, until my sister lost her youngest son in a tragic car accident about two and a half years ago, when he was 16. (Yeah, you all know that.)

My daughter Bitchy and my brother’s oldest son were both Robbie’s age. They would have all graduated from high school a year ago this week. As it were, Bitchy and Garrett both graduated with my sister in attendance. She was a picture of composure, compassion and great joy. She’s just cool like that. 

She reminded me after their graduations of another event that we had  forgotten about.  It happened the summer before.  If you have a minute, I’d like to tell you about it.

It was June, 2006, and my nephew Doug, Robbie’s older brother, and two of his friends were fishing near Groton, CT. (They live in Mystic, Conn.) It was early in the morning, and the fog was still hanging low near the water as they fished off a sandbar. They heard a loud, loud noise, and as they looked toward the sky they saw a commuter plane come roaring through the fog and crash into the water right in front of them! Doug and his friends John and Randy quickly jumped into their boat, and made their way to the plane.


They could see immediately that the pilot did not make it.  Then they saw one head pop to the surface. They pulled the fella into their boat, and proceeded to rescue two other people. (Three total.) My nephew called 911 on his cell as they made their way to the dock.


Later that day I happened to be watching CNN, and saw a piece on a plane crash near Groton. I immediately wondered if my brother-in-law had participated in the rescue, as he is a volunteer fireman. Wasn’t I shocked when I called my sister, and she filled me in on what had happened, and Doug’s actions! As I attended his graduation several weeks later, I was in tears as the speaker at commencement spoke in proud, glowing terms of these young men who thought nothing of rushing to the rescue of these strangers in peril. It was a very proud moment.

My sister reminded me of this event at Bitchy’s graduation, and confided in me her thoughts at the time of the crash.  Here’s what she said...


“Sis, you know what came to my mind then? A life saved, a life lost. That’s what I thought. Doug helped save those men’s lives, and then not even a year later, lost his brother.”

And with that we sat, sipped our coffee, and tried to make sense of an often confusing and heartbreaking thing called life.