Last Friday, two boys became caught in a rip tide at Cranberry Beach in Washington state. One boy was quickly rescued by bystanders, but the other - 12-year-old Dale Ostrander - was pulled under water by the tide. It was about 10 minutes before a rescue team arrived and at least another 15 minutes before they could locate the boy in the surf. He was finally pulled from the ocean after more than 20 minutes (t w e n t y m i n u t e s ! ! !) under water.
Essentially, Dale was dead.
But rescuers began efforts to resuscitate him as the members of a youth group from a local church (who were visiting the beach and had witnessed the whole ordeal) knelt in the sand nearby and prayed. And prayed.
At a nearby hospital, they were able to get a faint pulse. Then they airlifted him to a hospital in Portland, Ore. where he was placed in a medically-induced coma to protect his vital organs until doctors could decide what to do.
On Monday afternoon, Dale's family gave this amazing update on his condition on their blog: "The doctors just removed Dale's breathing tube and he is now breathing on his own. Also, because of possible damage to the brain, they were unsure if he would be able to speak. Minutes after the tube was removed, the doctors told him to cough. Not only did Dale talk back to the doctors, he responded in a full sentence saying, “I don't have to.”
More photos of the event can be seen here. Please pray for Dale's continued recovery.
Friends, God is great. "Praise be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen." And amen.
