A Maryland camp counselor was recognized for rescuing a boy who almost drowned in the northwest branch of the Anacostia River.
A group of summer campers was hiking in Montgomery County when David Cypess tried to jump across the rocks and fell in.
“I tried to remember every technique I learned from swimming … just trying to stay alive,” David said.
He said he was pinned against a log.
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Then camp counselor Tuvia Moses jumped in the river.
“I decided it’s now or never, in terms of saving him,” he said.
Moses hit his head on the rocks but managed to hold David’s head above the water until rescuers could arrive.
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“The number one priority in my mind was to save the camper,” Moses said. “My life was in danger, as well, so that was a little scary.”
Moses received the Maryland EMS Citizens Award Tuesday for his bravery that day.
“I’m very thankful that he was able to save me and also that he thought of me before himself,” David said.
David is back at summer camp this year and dreams of one day being a doctor.
“It’s important for me to … be able to save other people’s lives with the experience that I have of my own,” he said.
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