In 2014, the entire spring was very cool. The sun hardly shone, it rained even in June. And I am a solar summer child. By July, I was starving for the warmth of the sun when a friend of ours invited us on a motorboat tour on July 19, I quickly said yes because it was our first weekend, sunny day off. We didn’t go swimming, but we all had swimsuits so that the sun could finally touch our skin. I went alone with my two daughters, my husband at the time said he would rather work. And the friendly married couple with their son have 3 adults and 3 children, don’t worry. I had never traveled on the Danube by motorboat before. We set off, but not long after, driven by a sudden idea, our helmsman said he would show us a super small place, we would dock at the one-tree island. Bathing people floated in the water, children played on the muddy shore with a disgusting green thing like moss. It was divine, everyone’s mouths were really full of happiness. I also took some pictures in the boat and on the shore, because of course the camera grew on me. Our helmsman was floating on the water on one side of the sandbar and the children were playing on the other side of the sandbar. Pure idyll, miraculous clouds, sun, water.
Until suddenly, with 2 unexpected steps, the little boys couldn’t get their feet down and my older daughter got caught in the drift and shouted to us for help. We didn’t even stand 3 meters away and didn’t feel any danger. Then my daughter also stepped towards the little boy and she was also taken away by the current. None of them could swim safely in currents. At first, I felt like I was easily guiding the children back with one hand holding the camera above the water. Well, no.
Shout out to dad for help. My legs didn’t even reach the bottom, a girl is holding on inside me, but I couldn’t swim back against the current 2-3 meters from the shore with a child on my back and a camera around my neck. I gave the camera to his father, who managed to get away with the camera, but I didn’t mind because I saw that otherwise he wouldn’t be able to reach the shore with the 2 children. Finally, my little boy and my older daughter are on the beach. I just put my younger daughter on my back and I haven’t felt any trouble yet. He was 6 years old and couldn’t swim until he was a toddler. I felt that I could not swim back to that shore, I let the water take us and headed for another half of the shore. But my terrified daughter held onto my neck, squeezed and shouted “Mom, are we going to die?” but I couldn’t answer… I just concentrated on swimming, staying above the water, spitting out the Danube water. I peeled his little hands off my neck and put them on my shoulders. I swam so that he wouldn’t slip in, but I felt that the water was pushing us to the middle of the Danube, we simply didn’t get close to the shore. I couldn’t reassure her that nothing would be wrong, because the water just kept going down my throat.We didn’t see the motorboat, they only told us afterwards that they were scared, the water took us so fast, They ran back to the boat, but its paddle got stuck in the sand and it didn’t start.
They waved for help, but they did not come towards us.The engine still hasn’t started.They waved to the other side but nothing.
I didn’t feel anything, I just swam, swam. I tried to approach the shore but it didn’t work and a bridge was approaching.
I tried to gather strength by putting my head in the water at a normal chest pace and then I can swim with all my strength. I swam for years, of course I was young, but they taught me to swim properly. Then in the summer I swam 2 km a day for my own pleasure. I thought if anyone else I have water security. ..
But now neither my hands nor my legs could put real strength into my pace due to the holding hands and legs. And I stretched my back to stay on top of the water so that the girl wouldn’t slip off me.
When I put my head in the water, I had visions. I saw facial blemishes. It wasn’t scary, rather I felt that there was help, no problem. I felt spirits around me. . .I just paced and paced. I don’t know how long.
My next memory is that I can’t open my eyes and I’m snoring inarticulately asking if my daughter is okay, then an ambulance, infusion, hospital.
I couldn’t move for 3 days because of muscle pain, diarrhea and stomach pain, and terrible nightmares and panic attacks at night.
After 1 month, I found our “Zoltán rescuer” on the Internet. He told me how they finally set off from the other side of the Danube towards us, with a sleeping child in the boat, because they were puzzled by the unhelpful people on the water. He felt he had to step.
He told this part: When they lifted Maja off my back and put her in the boat, I drowned in the water. I didn’t swim any further, I didn’t move, I dived, very fast. There were two men in the boat, one of them was frozen by this information, and Zoltán immediately jumped into the water because he felt that for another second and he won’t see me dive so quickly and pushed him to the top of the water. 2 healthy men could barely pull the helpless body out of the water. I wasn’t flailing, but I wasn’t holding on either. No picture, no sound.
It took me 1 year to work out the case myself. Majus went faster, thank God. The previously favorite sound of water splashing, which is the sound of water flowing from the tap or the water’s edge, triggered terrible anxiety.The sight of water, which I loved until then, has now become a terrible stress factor.
It took 1 year for the feeling in my stomach to disappear, as if a spear was being thrust into me and my throat was being squeezed.
When we got stuck in a traffic jam on Chain-bridge, during this time I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown, I was so anxious.
The depressing feeling that I can’t help my daughter better, that I can’t provide her with security, because she kept shouting “Mom, are we going to die?” and I can’t answer. This feeling that I am not responsible stuck with me for a long time.
I worked it out, we worked it out. WE COULD HAVE STAYED HERE!
Today, the sight of water still gives me peace and strength, but I know mother nature has enormous power.
Every year I am grateful to Zoltán “the savior” for coming towards us and acting immediately to save our lives in an emergency!
Thank you Zoltán, thank you Life, thank you Angels!
