The following is an excerpt from an article that will be in the March Issue of Paddle. It is Rick Rassier's incredible story of the day he died, we are so thankful that he took the time to share his story with us.
I
was dead before I tipped over. I didn’t take in any water because I wasn’t
breathing. Two other paddlers – Derek and Jeremy, right next to me – didn’t think
anything of it until they noticed some strange movement of the boat and my
paddle floating into the main flow of the river. Because of their quick action,
and their “hand of God” move to get me upright and out of my boat, CPR was started
within a few minutes...
I’ve
always felt like I have a purpose and have been passionate about what I do and
even more so now. My new life theme is, “Every minute has a purpose.” My career
as a teacher and performance coach have been about determination and
teamwork. The day I died was all about
determination and teamwork by everyone at WWP, the paramedics and in the
hospital. Saying “thank you” to each of them seems so inadequate.
