Thoughts of daughter saved near-drowning victim

A woman who survived a near drowning says it was the image of her nine-year-old daughter’s face that pushed her to “fight for her life”.

Matilda Kanini, who moved to Australia from Zambia four years ago with her family, was taking part in an adult swimming lesson at the Geraldton Aquarena on September 10.

Ms Kanini said she had just begun her first lap of the outdoor swimming pool when she began to sink below the water’s surface.

“Something started to go wrong and I found myself sinking,” she said.

“When I went down the first thing that happened was I started to panic — I don’t know how to swim.

“I’m so afraid of drowning and I don’t know the first thing to do when things don’t go the way I’m told they should go.”

Ms Kanini said had it not been for her nine-year-old daughter, who had just finished her own swimming lesson, the situation may have resulted in a different outcome.

“Every time I came up and went down I thought any minute now someone will get me, but nothing happened,” she said.

“I was praying and saying Lord there’s no way I can go like this, but by this stage I was extremely tired and I could feel myself slipping away.

“I remember I managed to come up for a brief second and saw my daughter’s face at the other end of the pool.

“When I saw her I knew I couldn’t give up — I’ve never fought harder in my life.”

Ms Kanini said she had begun coughing when she emerged from the water and was looked over by the instructor and the Aquarena’s manager.

She said she was told to return home, but as she went to leave the premises she almost collapsed.

Ms Kanini said the centre’s receptionist noticed her state and took her to the first-aid room where she began coughing up blood.

An ambulance was called and she was taken to Geraldton Regional Hospital where she spent four days.

“At the emergency department X-rays revealed I had water in my lungs,” she said.

“When they found out there was water in my lungs they started treating me for that but I was told I may have to be flown to Perth.

“A doctor told me the water contained bacteria, chlorine and other chemicals and that was the reason I was coughing up blood.”

Ms Kanini spent four days at the Geraldton Regional Hospital from September 10 to September 13.

City of Greater Geraldton chief executive Ken Diehm said the City was aware of the incident and had been in contact with Ms Kanini and her husband a number of times since the incident.

“The incident was recorded by CCTV cameras and we are satisfied with the manner in which the swimming instructor responded to the swimmer and dealt with the situation,” he said.

“City staff also undertook emergency care processes which included monitoring patient conditions, oxygen therapy and calling an ambulance that took the woman to the hospital from the Aquarena.”

Mr Diehm said the swimming instructor involved in the incident had more than 20 years of experience teaching swimming and was an accredited trainer for senior first aid, Bronze Medallion and Royal Life Saving.