Last summer Michaela Micheli saved a person's life.
Together with a helper, the woman from Kleinberghofer saved a swimmer who had had an accident from drowning.
Kleinberghofen / Kappeln -
It was the last evening of her three-day short vacation on the Baltic Sea when Michaela Micheli achieved the unbelievable last summer: Together with a helper, the 55-year-old saved an elderly lady from drowning.
For their courageous efforts, Micheli and her fellow rescuer Herbert Weiss-Ravn were honored with the rescue medal by Schleswig-Holstein's Prime Minister Daniel Günther in May. "This selfless commitment deserves the greatest respect, great recognition and great thanks," said Günther. Due to the pandemic, the Kleinberghofen resident could not be present when the award was presented in Kiel. A personal handover by the Dachau District Administrator is planned in a festive setting at the end of July.
August 2020: Michaela Micheli was visiting a friend in Kappeln on the Baltic Sea.
The day before their departure they made a trip to Weidefelder Strand.
Then the 55-year-old suddenly noticed something in the waves.
“At first I thought someone was snorkeling.” But then she recognized the body of a lifeless swimmer floating on her stomach.
Without thinking, Micheli ran off - as good as the strong waves would allow.
When she reached the injured woman, another helper was on site: Herbert Weiss-Ravn.
The two were completely on their own during the rescue operation, because the DLRG rescue station was no longer manned at that time.
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Lifesaver: Michaela Micheli.
© Private
Together with her rescuer, Micheli tried to pull the unconscious woman out of the sea. Weiss-Ravn grabbed the legs, Micheli grabbed the arms of the injured woman. “It was actually clear to us that she was dead,” says the woman from Kleinberghofen. According to Micheli, there were no signs that the woman who had died would make it. Nevertheless, Micheli kept talking to the unconscious swimmer. The sea water hit the courageous Kleinberghofer woman in the face. Again and again she and her fellow rescuer were washed over by the waves. She swallowed salt water. With all their might they fought against the high waves.
After "what felt like an eternity" they finally arrived at the beach.
The Kleinberghofenerin was at the end of her strength.
“I would never have thought how brutally difficult it is!” Micheli's friend had called for help in the meantime.
A swimmer who happened to be a doctor immediately began resuscitating the swimmer who had suffered an accident.
All of a sudden, more helpers were there.
After all the excitement, Michaela Micheli "first needed a Becks".
It was only on her return trip to Bavaria the next day that she “realized what happened”.
She can still see the dead expression on the woman's face for days, accompanied by the uncertainty as to whether the swimmer even survived the bathing accident.
After two weeks, Micheli finally found out what had happened to the woman who had suffered an accident.
The mayor of Kappel informed Micheli that the swimmer was alive.
"I'm so touched that she made it," said Micheli happily.
As a thank you for her brave efforts, Micheli later received a package with 50 chocolate fish from the rescued woman in the mail.
Micheli also learned how close it was to rescue.
“It was pure luck.
If we had come later or if we had overlooked the woman, then she would have drowned. ”So she feels a deep connection to her fellow rescuer.
"It's an incredible feeling that someone lives there just because we were in the right place at the right time!"
Michaeli has had a different view of things since the incident. The lightness has disappeared somewhat. Nevertheless Michaeli is grateful and proud. "It is a unique gift to save someone's life!"
