Woman credits CPD officers with saving life
Published 3:50 pm Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Kathy Giles said the quick action of two off-duty Clanton Police officers and other friends saved her life recently.
Giles and her husband Donald Giles, who has worked for Clanton Police Department for 14 years, were boating with family and friends on Lake Mitchell on May 27.
Kathy Giles suffers from occasional seizures but didn’t think about the danger it could cause when she entered the water without a life jacket.
She said her husband was preparing to jump off a rock at a popular spot on the lake, and she wanted to be close by in the water.
Life saver: Kathy Giles (left) says her husband and Clanton Police Department officer Donald Giles helped save her life during a boating incident.
“He jumped, and I went to swim over,” Kathy Giles said. “I felt my arms get really, really heavy. I said, ‘Something is wrong; grab me.’”
But as Donald Giles tried to grab his wife, Kathy Giles saw him struggling in the water, and her last memory was trying to push him away from her.
“I didn’t want both of us to drown,” she said. “The last thing I remember was seeing my husband’s mouth and nose go under water.”
Later, those at the scene filled in for Giles what she doesn’t remember.
She was told that Donald Giles had to dive under water and then bring up Kathy Giles. Then, Donald Giles and fellow CPD officer Nathan Willis were able to get her into the pontoon boat the group was traveling on despite Kathy Giles suffering from a seizure.
Willis broke a toe in the process but still played an important part in saving Giles’ life, she said.
“If it wasn’t for them, we would be talking about a drowning victim,” Giles said. “It’s the closest I’ve ever been to dying.”
Willis’ wife, Angie Willis, was also able to help because of her background in nursing.
Kathy Giles said she’s suffered from seizures for about a year. She might go a few weeks without having one but then have three in one day, she said.
“It’s just out of the blue,” she said. “It’s kind of hard getting adjusted to life. That was the first time I’d been swimming (since the seizures began). I won’t be out of the boat without a life jacket again.”
“I just think that they are two outstanding officers and they need to be recognized—and not just because it’s my husband and our friend,” Giles said.
