Grad Student Jumps Into Lake Michigan to Save Drowning Woman

Fiona Cantorna was running along Chicago's lakefront last Thursday when she heard desperate screams coming from the water. Without a second thought, she jumped into the freezing waters of Lake Michigan to save a drowning woman.

The graduate student happened upon a scene where police officers had already arrived but had no flotation device available. A woman was struggling to stay afloat in the cold water while her friend, Guy Fuller, desperately waved for help from shore.

Fuller watched in agony as precious seconds ticked by. "When the police can't help you with something like this, there's a part of you that says jump in," he said. "The heart says jump in. The mind says you can't do it."

That's when Cantorna came running past. She spotted the drowning woman and her training as a former competitive swimmer and lifeguard instantly kicked in.

"I saw that she was drowning, and I knew that ok, this is what you have to do to save this person," Cantorna said. "I think my rational side took over."

She describes the rescue as going on autopilot. The adrenaline was so intense she barely felt the cold water as she pulled the woman to safety.

After the rescue, Cantorna warmed up in the back of a police car while the woman she saved recovered. The entire incident lasted only minutes, but the impact will last much longer.

Sunny's Take

Fuller has known the rescued woman since she was a child, and watching a complete stranger risk her own life to save her has deeply moved him. "This was divine intervention, no question about it," he said. "It just restores your faith in humanity."

In a world where we often hear about people looking the other way, Cantorna's instinct to help reminds us that compassion and courage still drive everyday heroes to do extraordinary things.

For Cantorna, the decision wasn't really a decision at all. When someone needed help, she simply helped.