On October 29, 1994 YWCA Camp Director Jill Laidlaw was alerted that two
local town residents, who had been boating in a raft off shore, were in
trouble. The raft had overturned and a 12-year-old boy was clinging to it,
attempting to steer by kicking off the back end. The boy had thrown their
one and only life jacket(*) to his 13-year-old sister after she had fallen
overboard trying to retrieve a paddle. The wind had overturned the raft
and caused the two to drift farther and farther from each other and shore.
Jill directed the kitchen staff to call 911 and request an ambulance and
assistance from the Sheriff's Department. She gathered paddles and four
life jackets while staff and volunteers carried a canoe from the canoe
trailer to the beach. Ed Lazar of St. Clair Shores offered to help Jill in
the canoe. Ed was at YWCA Camp Cavell with his family, enjoying a family
Halloween weekend. Ed was an experienced canoeist with a racing
background, complementing Jill's skills background as a former life guard,
Red Cross canoe instructor, and river and lake paddler. Together, after a
tense start, they were able to break through the waves and get into open
water. The wind and waves made the going tough. Waves were from 2- to
5-feet and the wind was 40 m.p.h. The boy appeared to be hanging on, but
the girl was just a bobbing head, dipping up and down. Fearing she had no
life jacket and that hypothermia would set in, the rescuers set their
course for the girl.
When they came upon her, she was almost hysterical - frantic for her
brother. Ed balanced the canoe while Jill sat on the bottom, gripping the
child by the arms. The girl was so cold that she could not hang on by
herself. With Ed counterbalancing, Jill managed to pull her over the side.
While Jill tried to warm the child as best she could, Ed paddled with the
waves, aiming for the crowd on shore.
When they landed ashore, several staff and weekend guests wrapped the
girl in jackets and blankets and formed a human relay chain, running and
passing her down the shoreline and up the hill to the waiting ambulance.
The girl, who appeared to be much younger than her 13 years, later told
the medics that she suffers from kidney problems.
Jill and Ed, although tired, immediately turned back into Lake Huron and
were en route to the boy. He was cold, sitting on top of his raft now, and
very concerned about his sister. He had a rope coiled, ready for them to tow
the raft. Putting him in their canoe, Jill told him they would give it a
try, even though the wind was strong and towing the raft would be no easy
task. With a lot of luck, they pulled it off.
The support people quickly brought the boy, who was able to walk on his
own, to the medics. The tired rescuers decided to paddle the canoe to the
original launch site, although the relieved crowd would have gladly portaged
the canoe and carried Jill and Ed.
Jill didn't know the children's names when I asked her. Perhaps she'll
never know. The authorities whisked them away before Jill and Ed returned to
the waterfront area of Camp Cavell. This was one of those situations where
two people (with a canoe) truly made a difference in the lives of two youth.
These heroes would never seek recognition, but they deserve it. It goes
without saying that having proper skills, training, and experience played a
pivotal role in this rescue.
Jill is an ACA member, fund raising chair for the Michigan Section, and
camp director at YWCA Camp Cavell in Lexington, Mich. She is married and
lives on site. Ed is a businessman. He is active in the Junior Counselor's
program and learned canoeing at a camp in Wisconsin.
