Josh Collette is 42 years old, has five children, and a lifetime devoted to the sea. On Saturday, August 15, he didn’t think twice: he saw a child trapped in a rip current at Riviera Beach, San Clemente, and ran toward the water before the child’s own mother reached the shore.
When he went in, his body struck a sandbar or rock hidden beneath the surface. There, in that instant, everything changed. He told his wife Rose that he thought he had broken his neck, while several people pulled him from the water amid screams and desperation. The doctors later confirmed the worst: he was paralyzed from the neck down.
Today, after ten days in intensive care, Josh cannot speak, but he moves his lips so Rose can understand every word. His sister Hillary became the family’s voice to the media, and a fundraising campaign seeks to cover the medical expenses and therapy that await him. The child he saved is still alive thanks to him.