A SEA RESCUER STORY
My name is Ifigeneia, I work as a rescuer in the sea and the most cases I have faced are refugees that are obliged to leave their country because of the war or because they want a better life. It's a psychedelic work because you see children crying, being hungry and thirsty. I have a lot of stories but one of them will be etched on my memory.
It was mid-summer and outside it was 40 degrees Celsius. I was working, servicing a rescue boat. Suddenly I heard my partner, Mike talking on the wireless and telling me to go immediately to the port. I gave up everything I was doing and left to the port, sweaty and dizzy from the sun. I got on my boat and started the journey. At 10 meters before I reached my destination I lost my vision because of the smokes of the fires. I realized it had to do with war again. Above me I heard helicopters flying with buckets used to put out the fire, which was difficult because of the heat. At some point I started to see more clearly, I could see people panicking with children in their arms, they were waving at me to go and save them. They were over 1 hundred people and not all of them could fit in my boat. Over the radio I called two more boats for help. I was anxious but also determined to save all of them. I tried to take as many parents with children as I could, the boat could fit about 30 people but I took 40 and they were crowded. I gave life jackets and water to all of them. A woman of around 27 years old was ready to die and she could not breathe due to the smoke, I put her an oxygen mask and fortunately everything went well.
"A picture from that day"
While we were returning to the port, next to me was sitting a woman crying. I felt worried so I asked her what was going wrong. She told me that she was tired of these conditions and that back at her country she had lost her child. At this moment I cried and tried to comfort her. She was young and I used it to make a point and give her courage. I told her that she is young and she could have another child. I knew that this would not make her feel better but I just said it. She continued telling me that she was sad of leaving her country but maybe it was a good chance for her to have a better life. She was an optimistic and brave woman.
Unfortunately I haven't heard anything from her since then but I hope she is happy. It makes me sad that we live in 2021 and we are still having problems like that, and that there still exist people who are forced to leave their country. I hope that someday everything will change.
"We need to stay
positive"
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