Jacob and Dimitri Zembal play in the Mosquito division and also play on the Major Mosquito Select team. Tim Zembal coaches and sponsors the House league team, Mars Janitorial Services. The following is a copy of the story that appeared in the Toronto Sun on Aug. 2, 2011
MISSISSAUGA — A family barbecue in Bolton could have turned deadly had it not been for twin boys, who saved their cousin from drowning.
The 11-year-old heroes, Jakob and Dimitri Zembal, were swimming at a Glasgow Rd. backyard pool on August 1 when they noticed their motionless 35-year-old cousin at the bottom of the deep end.
“We both told our dad that someone was under the water,” Jakob said Tuesday from the family’s Mississauga home. “He dove in and dragged her out (of the water) with her husband and my mom. And my mom performed artificial respiration on her because she had a pulse. She started barfing out water, so we knew she was breathing and I ran inside the house to call 911.”
The cousin had told people she wasn’t a strong swimmer and was seen flutter-kicking using a pool noodle. The pool was surrounded by people, but most of the adults were keeping a close eye on kids in the shallow end.
The boys were always told by their parents to report to an adult if something looked wrong in the water.
“Another 30 seconds, maybe and she could’ve been dead, so you never know,” said Dimitri. “So when you see somebody like that, you should never be afraid to call out to someone.”
When their father, Tim, rescued the family member, his wife, Jayne, began performing rescue breathing on the unconscious woman. The family did not wish to reveal her identity.
The married couple are former lifeguards and were forced to rely on training they received 15 years ago.
“This is the first time we actually had to do it for real,” said Jayne, 38. “I was shocked and was scared it was too late … It happened so fast. We had to do everything we could.”
When the woman began breathing again, paramedics arrived and brought her to hospital. She was released and is now recovering at home.
The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of learning how to swim at an
early age and the benefits that can be gained from taking a first aid course, said Caledon OPP Const. Jonathan Beckett.
“It is a good news story, but it is a reminder of the danger that lurks out there,” he said. “It’s a reminder that we should all learn how to swim.”
Dimitri said while he didn’t perform the rescue breathing, he and his brother feel it’s important to use to the swimming skills they learned starting as infants.
“You need to learn how to swim because you never know when that could happen,” he said. “She was relying on a noodle and she just slipped.”
To view the video interview with the boys, click here