Ahmed Erakat, DO, a pediatric hospitalist at Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center, went to Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville with his dogs, a book, and plans to relax beside the Russian River.
Coincidentally, his close colleague, Angelina Delgadillo, RN, a labor and delivery nurse at the Vallejo hospital, was there, too, in late July. She was joined by her husband, Alexis Delgadillo, RN, who also works at the Vallejo hospital, and their children.
Alexis settled into a chair when he noticed a woman by the dam, an area considered unsafe because of the strong currents. She was staring at the water, and when Alexis approached her, he noticed a person floating face down.
Alexis quickly jumped into the river.
“Every step was painful because of the rocks, but my priority was to get him out of the water,” Alexis said. He also shouted for Angelina.
Meanwhile, Dr. Erakat was reading his book when he heard Angelina calling his name.
“Dr. Erakat, we need your help!”
Dr. Erakat bolted toward the river and helped Alexis who was struggling to bring the man to shore.
Once on land, they saw that the man was blue, unresponsive, and had no pulse.
A glimpse of hope
Dr. Erakat and Alexis began performing CPR, taking turns administering chest compressions while guiding the man’s sister through rescue breaths. Angelina said the woman estimated her brother had been submerged for approximately 2 minutes.
“The man appeared to cough and gave us a glimpse of hope,” Angelina said.
Alexis also recalled that moment. “I yelled at him: ‘Come on, stay with me!’”
While they were trying to resuscitate him, Angelina told her daughter to call 911.
Within minutes, emergency responders arrived. Firefighters and paramedics took over the life-saving efforts before transporting the patient to the hospital.
Fate? Coincidence?
Everyone involved was shocked and shaken by what happened. They later reflected on the experience.
“When we have emergent situations in the hospital, we have the supplies and staff we need to help,” Angelina said. “We had no crash cart, no suction, and no supplies to intubate. In this setting, all we could do is CPR. Despite that, we all leaned into our trained background and did what we could.”
Dr. Erakat added: “You wonder about the outcome, and you wonder why everyone happened to be in that exact place at that exact time.”
They didn’t hear anything for several days and feared the worst. Then they got an update: it was good news.
A Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office social media post confirmed the man survived and was expected to make a full recovery.
They were all relieved.
“We were at the right place at the right time,” Alexis said.
Dr. Erakat said he felt “incredibly proud” to work with nurses like Angelina and Alexis. “Their quick thinking, calm under pressure, and willingness to act immediately represent the very best of Kaiser Permanente Vallejo.”
