Back home in Dallas, 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai is still dealing with the aftershock of nearly losing his life on a California beach last month.
“I was pretty much on the shore, [and] I got like pulled,” Nathaniel told NBC 5.
Nathaniel, who has now seen the viral video of himself being rescued, said he was on a family vacation when their beach day ended with him almost drowning.
“I screamed for help,” he said.
That call was answered by a 16-year-old lifeguard, Ryder Williams, who said he saw Nathaniel lose his footing. Williams radioed for help as he rushed into the water.
“I think one more wave happened and I went unconscious,” Nathaniel said. “When I woke up, Ryder was taking me to shore … I was super thankful because I knew he was going to save my life.”
Ryder has been called a hero for saving the boy’s life, but he said he was simply doing the job he loved. Only a few days ago, Nathaniel and his dad got to speak to him to express their gratitude.
“I was like, ‘Thank you so much for saving my life and my sister thanked him,'” Nathaniel said.
That thank you led to a video chat with both families, according to Nathaniel’s father, Sumit Rai. He said in a serendipitous way, they now feel connected.
“It turns out there’s a lot of commonalities between us,” Rai said. “We all really like UFC, so we’re talking about going to a fight together … It also so happens that [Ryder’s father] is a retired firefighter and Ryder wants to follow in his footsteps and be a firefighter. I happen to run a nonprofit for firefighters to screen them for cancer.”
It was a scary, tragic situation that revealed that some moments can reveal something bigger. Nathaniel and his dad said they are grateful for it all.
