June 2, 2025 • 23 mins
What happens when a summer day on the river turns into every family's worst nightmare? In this gripping true story, you'll hear firsthand accounts of the terrifying moment Enrique — a 24-year-old college student affectionately known as Gordo — vanished beneath the surface of Oregon’s Siuslaw River and didn’t come back up. With no cell service, no emergency response nearby, and the clock ticking, panic swept through the crowd. Told through the voices of his sister Angie and a bystander named Ann, this episode unpacks the emotional rollercoaster of a near-fatal drowning and the heroic efforts of complete strangers who fought to save him.
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Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Angie ran down the bank of the river, her eyes
searching the rocks until she spotted one of her sons, Gabe.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
He didn't look right, and I look around and I
don't see my brother, and so Gabe, I'm like, hey,
where's gorgo? And he goes Gorgoles Under the water.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
There started to be a panic that was kind of rising.
There seems to be something wrong.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
So out of the top of my lungs, I go
crazy and I start yelling.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
The water is dark, like you can't see the bottom.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
People ended up diving in and kind of just feeling
around in the water to see if they could feel
a body.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
This is the Miracle Files. I'm Emily Jones.
Speaker 5 (00:45):
And I'm Holly Worthington. We're two sisters who love a
captivating true story, but we're also seeking more light in
our lives.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
So we're on a mission to find and share unforgettable,
uplifting stories of God's miracles. We hope you'll join us
on this journey.
Speaker 6 (01:04):
Welcome back to the Miracle Files.
Speaker 5 (01:06):
Today's story takes place on the Oregon coast again, kind
of like our boat wreck episode, but this is down
further south. You're a little town called Florence.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Yeah, my friend actually shared this story with us, and
she has been listening to our podcast for over a year.
But as she was thinking about the miracles she's had
in her life, she remembered a miracle that her sister
in law was a part of. And I'm so glad
she did because it's an amazing story.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
Yeah, so keep thinking about the miracles in your lives
because you probably have some that you haven't shared with us.
You're whole now, we know you are.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
We've had a lot of people tell us about Wyly like,
I don't know, I was hesitating.
Speaker 6 (01:46):
Yeah, I know.
Speaker 5 (01:47):
People are like, I really wanted to share this, but
I've been nervous and we get it.
Speaker 6 (01:51):
We get it.
Speaker 5 (01:51):
But share your stories with us. We love it when
you share your stories with us.
Speaker 6 (01:55):
Yeap, All right, let's jump in.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
An early age. Enrique's family started calling him Gordo and
the name stuck. He doesn't mind. The funny thing is
that Enrique is anything but Gordo. He's actually quite thin
and the name fits his fun loving personality. But you're
going to hear from two perspectives in this story, one
(02:19):
from a woman named Anne who calls him Enrique, and
one from his sister Angie, who lovingly calls him Gordo.
We'll call him Enrique. Our story starts on a sunny
weekday in Florence, Oregon. The year was twenty twenty, so
if I tell you it was the summer at the
start of the COVID crisis, you'll understand why outdoor activities
(02:43):
were especially popular at the time. Enrique, an energetic twenty
four year old college student, invited his sister Angie and
their family to go to the SIUs Law River, to
a place known only to locals as the rock Slides.
Here's Angie.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
My brother had invited us to go over to the river.
He goes, hey, let's go to the river since our
sister at least is in town with her husband. Like,
let's go to the river. So we went to the river,
and you know, we were having fun at the river.
It was just my mom, my nephew, my kids, my
sister and her husband.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
At the same time, another local and Lacquoture, was heading
to the river with her own family.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Our family goes to the Rock Slides usually at least
once a summer. It's a really fun location. And what
it is, it's this little section on the Sayuslaw River
where there's basically like a natural water slide.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
So there's kind of like.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
These pools that are formed where you can swim and
you can climb up the rocks and jump off the rocks,
and there's a waterfall. The rocks kind of go downhill
in the water, and the water runs along the rocks
and has made them smooth, and so if you sit
on them, especially if you have a tube or one
of those blue mats you'd ride on a water slide,
it's really and so you ride down just like a
(04:01):
water slide, it's really really fun. And then at the
end of the rock slide is another pool area that's
deep enough to swim, and there's a fallen log that
kind of stretches across that swimming hole and people often
will kind of jump off it into the swimming hole.
So July twenty twenty, our family, along with several other families,
(04:23):
made the plan to go to the rock slides that day.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
The sun beamed brightly, shimmering on the river and warming
the sun bathers on the rocks. The sound of water, laughter,
and occasional splashes filled the air. No one expected danger
to strike Enrique, Angie, their mother, their sister Elisa, their
brother in law Robert, and Angie's two sons headed to
(04:50):
the natural water slide, something they'd done many times. Angie
chatted with her mother and sister, enjoying the warmth of
the sun. Enrique and Angie's two sons jumped off a
log into the pool below. Anne was also enjoying the
day with her family and friends, when suddenly the familiar
(05:11):
sounds of laughter and splashing were interrupted by a different
sound altogether, frantic mumbling, then voices rising, and almost instantly
people screaming. It was the sound of panic. A little
girl had been sitting up on a rock and had
(05:31):
seen Enrique and his nephews jumping into the pool, but
Enrique had never resurfaced, and the little girl had told
her family that a man went under the water and
had never come up. The father immediately started looking.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
In the pool. So my mom and I were talking
and then I don't know where I lose sight of
my brother and my son. And so I look at
my mom and I'm like, hey, uh, do you see gorgo?
She goes. I can't see. She wears glasses. She didn't
have her glasses at it, I was like, okay. So
I started to kind of panic, and I was like,
(06:11):
I'm not liking this, Like I felt something in my
heart essentially, that something wasn't ripe. And so I was
looking for my brother and my son.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Angie ran down the bank of the river, her eyes
searching the rocks, until she spotted one of her sons, Gabe,
sitting up on a boulder next to the bottom pool.
He didn't look right. The little girl sat next to him,
also looking terrified.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
And I look around and I don't see my brother,
and so Gabe, I'm like, hey, where's Gorgo? And he's scared,
mind you, He's like trying to hold on, and he goes,
Gorgos under the water.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Gordo is under the water. Those words ring in Anngie's ears.
Her heart dropped as her eyes searched the dark pool
beneath the water slide. Enrique was nowhere to be seen.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
So out of the top of my lawns, I go
crazy and I start yelling.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Angie's brother in law, Robert, joined her and jumped into
the water, searching for Enrique. But the water was deep
and inky, dark blue. No one could see Enrique at all.
Beneath the surface and heard the commotion from the top
of the rock slides.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
There started to be a panic that was kind of
rising from the bottom of the rock slides where that
pool is, to the top of the rock slides. You
could tell something was wrong because there was a lady
that was kind of in a panic.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
She didn't speak.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
English, and she was crying and talking to people, and
other people were running back down and coming back up.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
There seems to be something wrong.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
As Robert, Enrique's brother in law, swam through the water
trying to find Enrique, bystanderds gathered around to see what
was happening and noticed a few women fretting on the shore.
She was pretty sure the older one was the missing
man's mother, and her heart went out to her. Meanwhile,
Robert and others kept searching in the water.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
The water is darkest, not like crystal blue, like you
can't stand above it and look in.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
And see the ground by any means.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
There's all these dark rocks under there and moss and
who knows what else, but you.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
Can't see the bottom.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
And so people ended up jumping in and diving in
and kind of just feeling around in the water to
see if they could feel a body.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Tension spread throughout the crowd as the minutes ticked past,
and with each passing moment, hope began to dwindle that
Enrique would be found in time.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
And for several minutes, nobody could feel anything. But then
eventually there was a man that felt.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Something on his leg.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
He was kind of, you know, kind of vertically in
the water, and he could feel something with his leg,
and so eventually they don't down to where he was
feeling something on his leg.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
That man was Robert, and the something on his leg was,
in fact and Rique's limp body. Robert dove down and
pulled Enrique to the shore.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Eventually he pulled him out, and so I see a
bunch of people coming down to help us out, which
Anne was one, and her whole family was there.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Enrique lay on the rocks, unconscious. He had been under
the water for at least five minutes, and without immediate
medical care, he would surely die. Yet the nearest hospital
was over an hour away, and in this isolated area,
there was no cell service to call for help.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
His lips were blue, he wasn't breathing. He had consumed
a lot of water, weirdy knew he was pretty much,
you know, no poles or anything.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Elisa, Angie's and Enrique's pregnant sister immediately knelt Enrique and
began doing CPR. Angie watched, feeling complete despair and also
stood by. It was a worst case scenario, as Enrique's
mother also looked on in tears. It seemed there was
(10:16):
no hope. But sometimes when there seems to be no hope,
that's when a glimmer appears somehow. On that summer day
in a secluded, mostly undiscovered spot in western Oregon, medical
help was closer than Angie realized, and there wasn't just
(10:37):
one person there with medical experience. Incredibly, there was essentially
a whole emergency room full of doctors and nurses on scene.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Two of my friends are emergency room doctors and they
had the day off that day and they were with
us that day. And one of those emergency room doctors
had a brother with her that was also a nurse,
and it also have on the river that day. There
was also at least one other medical professional and another
person that was also like a military nurse as well.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
The medical professionals all gathered together and began taking turns
doing CPR on Enrique. When one would become too tired
to continue, another medical professional would take over and watch
them work on the unresponsive man. She tried to think
about what she could possibly do to help.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
And I felt like, what can I do in this situation,
like this family has this person in their family that
has drowned and is now unresponsive. I can't do CPR,
and I'm not a doctor, and I don't know anything
about what to do.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
But I did send my son.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
I said, go to the road and go drive to
wherever you've got.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
Cell service and called nine to one to one.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Somebody drowned and we need an ambulance here as soon
as possible. In the meantime, the nurses and doctors were
all surrounding in Rique and they were doing CPR.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
It was a start, but Anne still felt like she
hadn't done enough to help. She looked at the mother
and sister of the drowning victim. They were hugging each
other and crying.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
And the mom was hysterical.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Of course, she was just hysterical, and she didn't speak English,
but her daughter, Angie and Enrique's sister could speak English,
and so I asked her, can I pray with you?
Speaker 4 (12:26):
Would it help for me to say a prayer?
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Angie translated for Anne, and Enrique's mother nodded her head.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
So I just kind of huddled near Angie and her mom,
and I said a prayer that they would be comforted,
that they would feel peace, and of course that the
people that were trying to help Enrique would be able
to give them the best help possible. And I just
continued to stay with them and kind of hold the
mom's hand and Angie's hand and just tell him, you know,
(12:55):
it's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay.
And I didn't know if it was going to be okay.
I thought probably it wouldn't. People don't survived drowning very often.
But I just thought maybe the role that I can
play is just to try to comfort.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
The river fell silent. As the CPR continued for the
next hour.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
Enrique was completely unresponsive at all, and so we thought
this is probably not going to have a good ending,
you know, and it was very very sad.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
I remember they were rotating the whole time, for there
was quite a bit of people trying to help him.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
After what felt like a lifetime. Another glimmer of hope appeared,
a dim glimmer, but again it was something the medical
professionals felt, a faint pulse, and shortly after Enrique started
breathing on his own. Words spread through the crowd and
Enrique was alive. But unfortunately, Enrique still lay unconscious and
(13:54):
in critical condition, his life and future hung by a
tenuous thread. The ambulance took over an hour and fifteen
minutes to arrive. There was no road to the bottom
of the river, so the medical professionals, who had worked
so tirelessly on Enrique, used what little strength they had
left to make a stretcher out of a boogey board
(14:17):
and carrie Enrique's lifeless looking body to the top. They
had done all they could do, and.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
There was kind of this hush that went over the river,
kind of out of respect and reverence for what was
going on, and of course we were all praying, and
they transported Enrique to the top of the river and
then up this really steep staircase that leads to the road.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
The ambulance drove Enrique to a clearing where a helicopter
sat waiting. Enrique was then life flighted to the hospital,
leaving behind a group of anxious friends and family who
had witnessed the incredible efforts to save him. Before they left.
That day, Anne got Angie's cell phone number, and the
next day Ann reached out to Angie.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
I said, Hello, Angie, this is Anne Lacatour. I was
with you at the rock slide yesterday when your brother
had his accident.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
I just wanted to.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Let you know we have not stopped thinking about and
praying for him and the rest of you. I hope
you have felt the Lord's comfort. And she said, Hi,
thank you so much for reaching out and for your
prayers as well. We can't stop thanking God for having
you all there. It was not a coincidence. God sent
all of you because he knew my brother would need
of your help. We are so thankful that all of
you were there for my brother and my family. Thank
you so much.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
In the hospital, Enrique remained in a coma. He had
gone over an hour without breathing and without a pulse.
The doctors were not optimistic.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
When we spoke to the doctor that saw him, she said, yeah,
he's young, but even if you were to bounce back,
I don't think he'll be one hundred percent wholly recovered
because you had a lot of swelling in his brain.
And the doctor said for him to go five minutes
under the water, that's a long time. And so she goes,
(16:02):
in seven days, if like doesn't wake up, we're gonna
have to, you know, reconsider other options. So my mom,
I remember, she was like, you know, doctor, you know
what's best for him. So she goes.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
All I'm asking.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
God is that if he's going to take him, I'm
at peace with it taking him because I know God,
let me have this time with him. But she's like,
I've just been telling God, like, if you're going to
leave him, don't leave him with any brain damage or anything,
because he's very active, and so he can't say still,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
For the next seven days, family members took turns keeping
vigil by his bedside, praying together and seeking comfort in
each other's presence. Angie prayed the Rosary, her heart filled
with faith that maybe a miracle would still take place.
Then on the seventh day, during a quiet moment, there
(16:57):
was a third glimmer something was happening. It started with
the small squeeze of the nurse's hand, A flicker of life.
Enrique's hospital room erupted into shouts of surprise and relief.
It was a baby step, but his family couldn't help
but hope for more. Eight days after the accident, Anne
(17:21):
received this text message from Angie, Hi, I wanted to
share with you that my brother started moving and following commands.
Last night. I was able to talk to him and
he could hear me and listened to me. The doctor
evaluated him this morning. She called my sister and told
her that he is recovering and that he might have
(17:42):
a small long term effect, but nothing to worry about.
I know God is moving mountains for him. Thank you
so much for your prayers and for the support and help.
We appreciate all of you who are at the lake.
Please pray for him to completely heal for his soon recovery.
Anne responded, this is an absolute miracle. Thank you for
(18:07):
updating me, and please continue to do so as we
continue to pray. Four days later, Anne received a short message,
but with four exclamation points. It simply read, my brother
is off the ventilator. And then just a week after that,
(18:28):
Anne received this message from Angie. My brother is doing great.
He was discharged on Monday, and was sent to a
physical rehabilitation center. He's still there but will be coming
home Monday. Anne couldn't believe that the man who had
been underwater for over five minutes, who lay unresponsive with
(18:50):
no pulse or breathing for over an hour, was recovering
with no long term effects. It was beyond miraculous. Weeks later,
Anne and the families who had gathered that fateful day
began putting together plans for a barbecue to celebrate Enrique's survival.
(19:11):
Anne received another text message. It read, Hello, is this Anne.
My name is Enrique. You have been talking to my
sister about a celebration for my recovery. I hope you
are okay with her sharing your number with me.
Speaker 6 (19:29):
He then went on.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
To say, I hope I didn't give you all too
big of a scare that day. To be honest, I
don't remember a thing. Anne responded, it was a very,
very terrifying experience, so I'm glad you don't remember, but
it's been such a powerful experience to have been a
part of. Although Enrique declined to be interviewed because he
(19:52):
has no memory of his accident, he is very grateful
for the men and women who saved his life. Later,
as Enrique arrived at the barbecue, vibrant and full of life,
the joy was overwhelming. He and Anne embraced Enrique expressed
his immense gratitude. Everyone shared stories, laughter, and tears of relief,
(20:18):
grateful for the miracle they had all been part of
that day, a day that could have ended in tragedy
but instead became a testament to hope, community and the
power of prayer.
Speaker 5 (20:33):
Wow, so this story really was about community. Like, I
feel like God used all of these different people to
help save Enrique's life, these medical experts, and then you
have people who are just there supporting and praying. Just
so many people came together to help and regay in
this situation.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Yeah, and it's not like most of these people even
knew each other, right. Well, one question that I had
when I was listening to this was why did they
keep doing CPR for over an hour? Because, yeah, you know,
I'm not a medical professional, but I would have assumed
at that.
Speaker 6 (21:07):
Point that it was too late. He's gone.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
But as we've done research, it's actually the chest compressions.
It keeps like the oxygen in the blood circulating to
the brain and it kept him alive, and he is
so fortunate that he had these medical professionals there.
Speaker 5 (21:25):
Yeah, and can you imagine if it just been like
one person there trying to do that for that long,
I mean.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
Over an hour.
Speaker 6 (21:31):
I'm sure it was exhausting.
Speaker 5 (21:33):
It was such a miracle that they had so many
of these medical professionals there who could take turns, who
can help each other with this.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
If it had been me, Enrique would have been a goner.
Speaker 6 (21:44):
It would be sorry what to do?
Speaker 5 (21:49):
We have some talents, but Emily, you and I are
probably not the people to turn to if you need
somebody to save your life.
Speaker 6 (21:57):
Sadly, we wish we were. We wish we were, but
we could pray with you like Ann did. Yes, I
love that she.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Found a way to serve even though she wasn't a
medical expert.
Speaker 6 (22:07):
That's what we're talking, totally pray with you.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
Yeah, and honestly, I do think that being a comforter
is a gift for sure. Just to have someone there
who was that reassuring voice, who was praying with Angie
and her mom, I'm sure that meant.
Speaker 6 (22:23):
So much to them.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Anne was amazing And by the way, she has an
awesome Instagram page if you want to follow Anne. Her
Instagram page is Anne Lacoteur six.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
A n N l A co ou t u r
E six.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Yeah, and she is an interior designer. She has amazing ideas,
so go check her out.
Speaker 6 (22:48):
Yeah, she's all about bright colors.
Speaker 5 (22:49):
She's got a bunch of decorating ideas and DIY projects
and I could waste a lot of time on her
Instagram page.
Speaker 6 (22:56):
So yeah, enjoy, She's awesome.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
We want to thank Anne and Angie for sharing this
experience with us. We're so grateful that Enrique had a
full recovery and we want to wish him all the
best in his future as well. Yes, and thank you
all for joining us today.
Speaker 5 (23:13):
Yeah, make sure to subscribe, leave us a review, share
this podcast so you can help us to continue to
spread this light. Thank you for joining us. If you
have a miracle to share, contact us at the Miracle
files dot com or find us on Facebook.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
We're now releasing multiple episodes each month, so subscribe on
your favorite podcast platform and YouTube for amazing video content
as well.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
Join us next time as we discover more of God's
miracles and don't forget to look for his light in
your own lives,
Angie ran down the bank of the river, her eyes
searching the rocks until she spotted one of her sons, Gabe.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
He didn't look right, and I look around and I
don't see my brother, and so Gabe, I'm like, hey,
where's gorgo? And he goes Gorgoles Under the water.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
There started to be a panic that was kind of rising.
There seems to be something wrong.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
So out of the top of my lungs, I go
crazy and I start yelling.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
The water is dark, like you can't see the bottom.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
People ended up diving in and kind of just feeling
around in the water to see if they could feel
a body.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
This is the Miracle Files. I'm Emily Jones.
Speaker 5 (00:45):
And I'm Holly Worthington. We're two sisters who love a
captivating true story, but we're also seeking more light in
our lives.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
So we're on a mission to find and share unforgettable,
uplifting stories of God's miracles. We hope you'll join us
on this journey.
Speaker 6 (01:04):
Welcome back to the Miracle Files.
Speaker 5 (01:06):
Today's story takes place on the Oregon coast again, kind
of like our boat wreck episode, but this is down
further south. You're a little town called Florence.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Yeah, my friend actually shared this story with us, and
she has been listening to our podcast for over a year.
But as she was thinking about the miracles she's had
in her life, she remembered a miracle that her sister
in law was a part of. And I'm so glad
she did because it's an amazing story.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
Yeah, so keep thinking about the miracles in your lives
because you probably have some that you haven't shared with us.
You're whole now, we know you are.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
We've had a lot of people tell us about Wyly like,
I don't know, I was hesitating.
Speaker 6 (01:46):
Yeah, I know.
Speaker 5 (01:47):
People are like, I really wanted to share this, but
I've been nervous and we get it.
Speaker 6 (01:51):
We get it.
Speaker 5 (01:51):
But share your stories with us. We love it when
you share your stories with us.
Speaker 6 (01:55):
Yeap, All right, let's jump in.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
An early age. Enrique's family started calling him Gordo and
the name stuck. He doesn't mind. The funny thing is
that Enrique is anything but Gordo. He's actually quite thin
and the name fits his fun loving personality. But you're
going to hear from two perspectives in this story, one
(02:19):
from a woman named Anne who calls him Enrique, and
one from his sister Angie, who lovingly calls him Gordo.
We'll call him Enrique. Our story starts on a sunny
weekday in Florence, Oregon. The year was twenty twenty, so
if I tell you it was the summer at the
start of the COVID crisis, you'll understand why outdoor activities
(02:43):
were especially popular at the time. Enrique, an energetic twenty
four year old college student, invited his sister Angie and
their family to go to the SIUs Law River, to
a place known only to locals as the rock Slides.
Here's Angie.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
My brother had invited us to go over to the river.
He goes, hey, let's go to the river since our
sister at least is in town with her husband. Like,
let's go to the river. So we went to the river,
and you know, we were having fun at the river.
It was just my mom, my nephew, my kids, my
sister and her husband.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
At the same time, another local and Lacquoture, was heading
to the river with her own family.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Our family goes to the Rock Slides usually at least
once a summer. It's a really fun location. And what
it is, it's this little section on the Sayuslaw River
where there's basically like a natural water slide.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
So there's kind of like.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
These pools that are formed where you can swim and
you can climb up the rocks and jump off the rocks,
and there's a waterfall. The rocks kind of go downhill
in the water, and the water runs along the rocks
and has made them smooth, and so if you sit
on them, especially if you have a tube or one
of those blue mats you'd ride on a water slide,
it's really and so you ride down just like a
(04:01):
water slide, it's really really fun. And then at the
end of the rock slide is another pool area that's
deep enough to swim, and there's a fallen log that
kind of stretches across that swimming hole and people often
will kind of jump off it into the swimming hole.
So July twenty twenty, our family, along with several other families,
(04:23):
made the plan to go to the rock slides that day.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
The sun beamed brightly, shimmering on the river and warming
the sun bathers on the rocks. The sound of water, laughter,
and occasional splashes filled the air. No one expected danger
to strike Enrique, Angie, their mother, their sister Elisa, their
brother in law Robert, and Angie's two sons headed to
(04:50):
the natural water slide, something they'd done many times. Angie
chatted with her mother and sister, enjoying the warmth of
the sun. Enrique and Angie's two sons jumped off a
log into the pool below. Anne was also enjoying the
day with her family and friends, when suddenly the familiar
(05:11):
sounds of laughter and splashing were interrupted by a different
sound altogether, frantic mumbling, then voices rising, and almost instantly
people screaming. It was the sound of panic. A little
girl had been sitting up on a rock and had
(05:31):
seen Enrique and his nephews jumping into the pool, but
Enrique had never resurfaced, and the little girl had told
her family that a man went under the water and
had never come up. The father immediately started looking.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
In the pool. So my mom and I were talking
and then I don't know where I lose sight of
my brother and my son. And so I look at
my mom and I'm like, hey, uh, do you see gorgo?
She goes. I can't see. She wears glasses. She didn't
have her glasses at it, I was like, okay. So
I started to kind of panic, and I was like,
(06:11):
I'm not liking this, Like I felt something in my
heart essentially, that something wasn't ripe. And so I was
looking for my brother and my son.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Angie ran down the bank of the river, her eyes
searching the rocks, until she spotted one of her sons, Gabe,
sitting up on a boulder next to the bottom pool.
He didn't look right. The little girl sat next to him,
also looking terrified.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
And I look around and I don't see my brother,
and so Gabe, I'm like, hey, where's Gorgo? And he's scared,
mind you, He's like trying to hold on, and he goes,
Gorgos under the water.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Gordo is under the water. Those words ring in Anngie's ears.
Her heart dropped as her eyes searched the dark pool
beneath the water slide. Enrique was nowhere to be seen.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
So out of the top of my lawns, I go
crazy and I start yelling.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Angie's brother in law, Robert, joined her and jumped into
the water, searching for Enrique. But the water was deep
and inky, dark blue. No one could see Enrique at all.
Beneath the surface and heard the commotion from the top
of the rock slides.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
There started to be a panic that was kind of
rising from the bottom of the rock slides where that
pool is, to the top of the rock slides. You
could tell something was wrong because there was a lady
that was kind of in a panic.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
She didn't speak.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
English, and she was crying and talking to people, and
other people were running back down and coming back up.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
There seems to be something wrong.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
As Robert, Enrique's brother in law, swam through the water
trying to find Enrique, bystanderds gathered around to see what
was happening and noticed a few women fretting on the shore.
She was pretty sure the older one was the missing
man's mother, and her heart went out to her. Meanwhile,
Robert and others kept searching in the water.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
The water is darkest, not like crystal blue, like you
can't stand above it and look in.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
And see the ground by any means.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
There's all these dark rocks under there and moss and
who knows what else, but you.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
Can't see the bottom.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
And so people ended up jumping in and diving in
and kind of just feeling around in the water to
see if they could feel a body.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Tension spread throughout the crowd as the minutes ticked past,
and with each passing moment, hope began to dwindle that
Enrique would be found in time.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
And for several minutes, nobody could feel anything. But then
eventually there was a man that felt.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Something on his leg.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
He was kind of, you know, kind of vertically in
the water, and he could feel something with his leg,
and so eventually they don't down to where he was
feeling something on his leg.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
That man was Robert, and the something on his leg was,
in fact and Rique's limp body. Robert dove down and
pulled Enrique to the shore.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Eventually he pulled him out, and so I see a
bunch of people coming down to help us out, which
Anne was one, and her whole family was there.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Enrique lay on the rocks, unconscious. He had been under
the water for at least five minutes, and without immediate
medical care, he would surely die. Yet the nearest hospital
was over an hour away, and in this isolated area,
there was no cell service to call for help.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
His lips were blue, he wasn't breathing. He had consumed
a lot of water, weirdy knew he was pretty much,
you know, no poles or anything.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Elisa, Angie's and Enrique's pregnant sister immediately knelt Enrique and
began doing CPR. Angie watched, feeling complete despair and also
stood by. It was a worst case scenario, as Enrique's
mother also looked on in tears. It seemed there was
(10:16):
no hope. But sometimes when there seems to be no hope,
that's when a glimmer appears somehow. On that summer day
in a secluded, mostly undiscovered spot in western Oregon, medical
help was closer than Angie realized, and there wasn't just
(10:37):
one person there with medical experience. Incredibly, there was essentially
a whole emergency room full of doctors and nurses on scene.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Two of my friends are emergency room doctors and they
had the day off that day and they were with
us that day. And one of those emergency room doctors
had a brother with her that was also a nurse,
and it also have on the river that day. There
was also at least one other medical professional and another
person that was also like a military nurse as well.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
The medical professionals all gathered together and began taking turns
doing CPR on Enrique. When one would become too tired
to continue, another medical professional would take over and watch
them work on the unresponsive man. She tried to think
about what she could possibly do to help.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
And I felt like, what can I do in this situation,
like this family has this person in their family that
has drowned and is now unresponsive. I can't do CPR,
and I'm not a doctor, and I don't know anything
about what to do.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
But I did send my son.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
I said, go to the road and go drive to
wherever you've got.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
Cell service and called nine to one to one.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Somebody drowned and we need an ambulance here as soon
as possible. In the meantime, the nurses and doctors were
all surrounding in Rique and they were doing CPR.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
It was a start, but Anne still felt like she
hadn't done enough to help. She looked at the mother
and sister of the drowning victim. They were hugging each
other and crying.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
And the mom was hysterical.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Of course, she was just hysterical, and she didn't speak English,
but her daughter, Angie and Enrique's sister could speak English,
and so I asked her, can I pray with you?
Speaker 4 (12:26):
Would it help for me to say a prayer?
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Angie translated for Anne, and Enrique's mother nodded her head.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
So I just kind of huddled near Angie and her mom,
and I said a prayer that they would be comforted,
that they would feel peace, and of course that the
people that were trying to help Enrique would be able
to give them the best help possible. And I just
continued to stay with them and kind of hold the
mom's hand and Angie's hand and just tell him, you know,
(12:55):
it's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay.
And I didn't know if it was going to be okay.
I thought probably it wouldn't. People don't survived drowning very often.
But I just thought maybe the role that I can
play is just to try to comfort.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
The river fell silent. As the CPR continued for the
next hour.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
Enrique was completely unresponsive at all, and so we thought
this is probably not going to have a good ending,
you know, and it was very very sad.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
I remember they were rotating the whole time, for there
was quite a bit of people trying to help him.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
After what felt like a lifetime. Another glimmer of hope appeared,
a dim glimmer, but again it was something the medical
professionals felt, a faint pulse, and shortly after Enrique started
breathing on his own. Words spread through the crowd and
Enrique was alive. But unfortunately, Enrique still lay unconscious and
(13:54):
in critical condition, his life and future hung by a
tenuous thread. The ambulance took over an hour and fifteen
minutes to arrive. There was no road to the bottom
of the river, so the medical professionals, who had worked
so tirelessly on Enrique, used what little strength they had
left to make a stretcher out of a boogey board
(14:17):
and carrie Enrique's lifeless looking body to the top. They
had done all they could do, and.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
There was kind of this hush that went over the river,
kind of out of respect and reverence for what was
going on, and of course we were all praying, and
they transported Enrique to the top of the river and
then up this really steep staircase that leads to the road.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
The ambulance drove Enrique to a clearing where a helicopter
sat waiting. Enrique was then life flighted to the hospital,
leaving behind a group of anxious friends and family who
had witnessed the incredible efforts to save him. Before they left.
That day, Anne got Angie's cell phone number, and the
next day Ann reached out to Angie.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
I said, Hello, Angie, this is Anne Lacatour. I was
with you at the rock slide yesterday when your brother
had his accident.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
I just wanted to.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Let you know we have not stopped thinking about and
praying for him and the rest of you. I hope
you have felt the Lord's comfort. And she said, Hi,
thank you so much for reaching out and for your
prayers as well. We can't stop thanking God for having
you all there. It was not a coincidence. God sent
all of you because he knew my brother would need
of your help. We are so thankful that all of
you were there for my brother and my family. Thank
you so much.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
In the hospital, Enrique remained in a coma. He had
gone over an hour without breathing and without a pulse.
The doctors were not optimistic.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
When we spoke to the doctor that saw him, she said, yeah,
he's young, but even if you were to bounce back,
I don't think he'll be one hundred percent wholly recovered
because you had a lot of swelling in his brain.
And the doctor said for him to go five minutes
under the water, that's a long time. And so she goes,
(16:02):
in seven days, if like doesn't wake up, we're gonna
have to, you know, reconsider other options. So my mom,
I remember, she was like, you know, doctor, you know
what's best for him. So she goes.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
All I'm asking.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
God is that if he's going to take him, I'm
at peace with it taking him because I know God,
let me have this time with him. But she's like,
I've just been telling God, like, if you're going to
leave him, don't leave him with any brain damage or anything,
because he's very active, and so he can't say still,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
For the next seven days, family members took turns keeping
vigil by his bedside, praying together and seeking comfort in
each other's presence. Angie prayed the Rosary, her heart filled
with faith that maybe a miracle would still take place.
Then on the seventh day, during a quiet moment, there
(16:57):
was a third glimmer something was happening. It started with
the small squeeze of the nurse's hand, A flicker of life.
Enrique's hospital room erupted into shouts of surprise and relief.
It was a baby step, but his family couldn't help
but hope for more. Eight days after the accident, Anne
(17:21):
received this text message from Angie, Hi, I wanted to
share with you that my brother started moving and following commands.
Last night. I was able to talk to him and
he could hear me and listened to me. The doctor
evaluated him this morning. She called my sister and told
her that he is recovering and that he might have
(17:42):
a small long term effect, but nothing to worry about.
I know God is moving mountains for him. Thank you
so much for your prayers and for the support and help.
We appreciate all of you who are at the lake.
Please pray for him to completely heal for his soon recovery.
Anne responded, this is an absolute miracle. Thank you for
(18:07):
updating me, and please continue to do so as we
continue to pray. Four days later, Anne received a short message,
but with four exclamation points. It simply read, my brother
is off the ventilator. And then just a week after that,
(18:28):
Anne received this message from Angie. My brother is doing great.
He was discharged on Monday, and was sent to a
physical rehabilitation center. He's still there but will be coming
home Monday. Anne couldn't believe that the man who had
been underwater for over five minutes, who lay unresponsive with
(18:50):
no pulse or breathing for over an hour, was recovering
with no long term effects. It was beyond miraculous. Weeks later,
Anne and the families who had gathered that fateful day
began putting together plans for a barbecue to celebrate Enrique's survival.
(19:11):
Anne received another text message. It read, Hello, is this Anne.
My name is Enrique. You have been talking to my
sister about a celebration for my recovery. I hope you
are okay with her sharing your number with me.
Speaker 6 (19:29):
He then went on.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
To say, I hope I didn't give you all too
big of a scare that day. To be honest, I
don't remember a thing. Anne responded, it was a very,
very terrifying experience, so I'm glad you don't remember, but
it's been such a powerful experience to have been a
part of. Although Enrique declined to be interviewed because he
(19:52):
has no memory of his accident, he is very grateful
for the men and women who saved his life. Later,
as Enrique arrived at the barbecue, vibrant and full of life,
the joy was overwhelming. He and Anne embraced Enrique expressed
his immense gratitude. Everyone shared stories, laughter, and tears of relief,
(20:18):
grateful for the miracle they had all been part of
that day, a day that could have ended in tragedy
but instead became a testament to hope, community and the
power of prayer.
Speaker 5 (20:33):
Wow, so this story really was about community. Like, I
feel like God used all of these different people to
help save Enrique's life, these medical experts, and then you
have people who are just there supporting and praying. Just
so many people came together to help and regay in
this situation.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Yeah, and it's not like most of these people even
knew each other, right. Well, one question that I had
when I was listening to this was why did they
keep doing CPR for over an hour? Because, yeah, you know,
I'm not a medical professional, but I would have assumed
at that.
Speaker 6 (21:07):
Point that it was too late. He's gone.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
But as we've done research, it's actually the chest compressions.
It keeps like the oxygen in the blood circulating to
the brain and it kept him alive, and he is
so fortunate that he had these medical professionals there.
Speaker 5 (21:25):
Yeah, and can you imagine if it just been like
one person there trying to do that for that long,
I mean.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
Over an hour.
Speaker 6 (21:31):
I'm sure it was exhausting.
Speaker 5 (21:33):
It was such a miracle that they had so many
of these medical professionals there who could take turns, who
can help each other with this.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
If it had been me, Enrique would have been a goner.
Speaker 6 (21:44):
It would be sorry what to do?
Speaker 5 (21:49):
We have some talents, but Emily, you and I are
probably not the people to turn to if you need
somebody to save your life.
Speaker 6 (21:57):
Sadly, we wish we were. We wish we were, but
we could pray with you like Ann did. Yes, I
love that she.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Found a way to serve even though she wasn't a
medical expert.
Speaker 6 (22:07):
That's what we're talking, totally pray with you.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
Yeah, and honestly, I do think that being a comforter
is a gift for sure. Just to have someone there
who was that reassuring voice, who was praying with Angie
and her mom, I'm sure that meant.
Speaker 6 (22:23):
So much to them.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Anne was amazing And by the way, she has an
awesome Instagram page if you want to follow Anne. Her
Instagram page is Anne Lacoteur six.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
A n N l A co ou t u r
E six.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Yeah, and she is an interior designer. She has amazing ideas,
so go check her out.
Speaker 6 (22:48):
Yeah, she's all about bright colors.
Speaker 5 (22:49):
She's got a bunch of decorating ideas and DIY projects
and I could waste a lot of time on her
Instagram page.
Speaker 6 (22:56):
So yeah, enjoy, She's awesome.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
We want to thank Anne and Angie for sharing this
experience with us. We're so grateful that Enrique had a
full recovery and we want to wish him all the
best in his future as well. Yes, and thank you
all for joining us today.
Speaker 5 (23:13):
Yeah, make sure to subscribe, leave us a review, share
this podcast so you can help us to continue to
spread this light. Thank you for joining us. If you
have a miracle to share, contact us at the Miracle
files dot com or find us on Facebook.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
We're now releasing multiple episodes each month, so subscribe on
your favorite podcast platform and YouTube for amazing video content
as well.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
Join us next time as we discover more of God's
miracles and don't forget to look for his light in
your own lives,
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