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Mother And Daughter Saved By Stranger In Kayaking Catastrophe

July 15, 2025

Today's good news story comes from Giles County, Virginia.

What started as a peaceful kayaking trip for a mother and daughter on the New River Water Trail quickly turned into a terrifying ordeal—until a compassionate stranger stepped in to save them.

Tammy and Brittney | Credit: WDBJ7 News

Tammy Rakes and her daughter, Brittney Doffin, are experienced kayakers and often enjoy paddling near their home in Giles County. But during a recent outing, their routine adventure took a dangerous turn after they encountered a set of challenging rapids.

Halfway through the journey, Doffin’s kayak began taking on water and eventually flipped.

"I turned to kind of look back to see where Brittney was at, and at that point, I noticed her kayak upside down, which as a mom, terrified me,” Rakes recalled. “I saw her little head bob up beside of him on his tube and I was like, oh, thank God, somebody’s helping her.”

That “somebody” was a stranger floating nearby, who immediately jumped into action.

“Everything was floating down the river,” said Doffin. “He was there, grabbing my stuff, grabbing me, grabbing my kayak. I was holding on to his tube.”

But the man’s help didn’t stop there. When Rakes’ kayak also began filling with water, he gave up his own flotation device to help her to safety.

“At that point I was able to get on out and get to safety,” she said. “But I’m just kind of like, I don’t know what I would have done.”

After making it to shore, shaken but safe, the women thanked the man before being picked up by family. Doffin later turned to social media to try and find the man who had helped them. She eventually connected with him, but he asked to remain anonymous.

Even so, his kindness left a lasting impression.

“Just for him to take the time out of his day and their family trip to help us means a whole lot, you know, especially save my daughter,” Rakes said.