A 71-year-old grandmother used her newfound skill to make a life-saving rescue. Liu Defang, who recently taught herself how to swim, leaped into a river in China to save a man who was drowning.
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Defang was conversing with friends near a river in Suixi County in Anhui province on July 13 when she heard someone exclaim, "Someone has fallen into the water," the South China Morning Post reported.
Video footage showed a man climbing onto the bridge's railing before deliberately letting go and plunging in the river to drown himself.
Little did he know, one of the world's newest swimmers would come to his rescue.
Defang quickly ran to the riverbank and took off her shoes. She caught a lifebuoy thrown to her by a woman nearby and jumped into the water without hesitation, the report said.
"I initially thought it was a little kid, so I felt very anxious. As I swam near him and grabbed his arm, I found he was a man in his 30s," Defang recalled.
Elderly Grandmother Rescues Drowning Man
The man tried to break free from Defang, citing that he did not want to live. Despite his resistance, the elderly grandmother continued with her rescue mission.
Entually, with help from local bystanders, Defang was able to pull the man onto shore.
"The rescue process lasted about 20 minutes. It was not a big deal for me. I did not tell my family for fear that they would worry about me," Defang added.
Despite trying to keep her life-saving rescue a secret, Defang's family found out once the daring mission went viral online.
Defang's older brother recognized his sister in the clip and contacted police who rewarded the brave grandmother.
Her brother was less than enthused by her risky rescue, though.
"My brother scolded me severely. He said, 'You are already over 70 years old. How dare you jump into the river to save others? Why didn't you think of the consequences?'" Defang said.
"In those circumstances, anyone would have offered help to save the man," she added.
Defang also offered advice for the troubled man she helped rescue.
"Any difficulties will come to an end. Nothing is as important as life. Don't give up too easily," she said.
