Posted by By Rachelle Ruffing October 24, 2025 on Nov 9th 2025
'I know there are miracles': Idaho woman saves drowning man, attends his wedding 5 years later
'I know there are miracles': Idaho woman saves drowning man, attends his wedding 5 years later
In 2020, Achelle Ruffing and her family spent Friday, June 19, paddleboarding on the Snake River near Pillar Falls, hoping a relaxing family trip would ease the pain of losing their beloved dog the day before.
As the Mountain Home family posed for a photo together, they did not realize what was unfolding in the background. A nightmare was about to transform into a miracle that would bind two families together forever.
The Accident The "Miracle Man"
"I looked over and the first thing that alerted me was I saw an empty kayak pop through the falls and start to sink," Ruffing said.
The kayak belonged to Brendon Lease, a visitor from Michigan who had stopped in Twin Falls during a road trip with friends to see Shoshone Falls and kayak through the Snake River. The current at Pillar Falls had other plans, sucking Lease under until his lungs filled with water.
"About three to five minutes after the kayak came out, I saw Brendon come out," Ruffing said. "He was face down, and all I could see was the top of his life jacket, and his head was suspended under the water."
Ruffing's daughter's boyfriend flipped Lease over and swam to a nearby pontoon boat.
"Brendon's mouth was open, his eyes were open. It was very haunting," Ruffing said. "His fingernails were blue, there was no pulse, no breath."
A river-goer on the pontoon helped muscle Lease's lifeless body onto the boat, where Ruffing began emergency CPR. Another one of Ruffing's daughters, just 13 years old, called 911 while her mother performed chest compressions and another stranger assisted with breaths.
After many minutes of deliberation, Ruffing turned Lease on his side. He began coughing up water and taking breaths.
Twin Falls Sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene and rushed Lease to Saint Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center.
Although Lease was alive, Ruffing spent the night in worry. As a speech pathologist, she has seen the damaging effects of anoxic brain injuries, where the brain fails to get oxygen for a prolonged period of time.
"I think, honestly, given the severity of it, I didn't see. I didn't believe it for a while, like I was in shock, because he was dead, and he went without oxygen for several minutes," Ruffing said.
But the next day, Ruffing received an unbelievable text from Lease's friends.
"His friends texted me and told me that he is walking and talking," she said. "I didn't believe them."
The doctors had initially planned to release Lease on Saturday, but decided to run more antibiotics because they were worried about bacteria in his lungs from the drowning. They did not release him until Sunday.
"I feel connected to him through our souls, I just feel like I know him," Ruffing said. "I told him you have something on this earth that you're supposed to do, because a lot of people were put in your path to meet you for a reason, and you touched my life and I touched your life, and there's a reason for that."
Ruffing kept in touch with Lease and calls him the "Miracle Man."
Now in 2025, Lease got married, and Ruffing was there.
"When the accident happened, Brendon's friends reached out to me. He was traveling with three friends. And at the wedding, we were able to reconnect with all of the friends. It was wonderful," Ruffing said.
Arriving at the wedding in Michigan was something Ruffing said she will not forget.
"So when we got to the, we were invited to the rehearsal dinner. So Adri and I flew out on Saturday, October 4th, and we flew into Detroit. And when we got to the rehearsal dinner, Brendon's dad just hugged me, and he just sobbed. And he was just really grateful to have met us. And then I also got to meet Brendon's mom, and we had a great time. I got to meet Brendon's now wife. She's beautiful. And it was just really fun. It was a really good experience," Ruffing said.
It was terrific to see Brendon and to see how well he is doing, Ruffing said, adding that it was great to see how well Lease was doing and that they will be friends for life.
"I feel elated, and I have this sense of pride that's hard to describe, like I feel like you know in an unusual way, I think of him kind of as my own, like oh my gosh, I was able to help him, and I'm so glad the outcome has been so positive. Because that first night it happened, I lay awake, and I had visions of him in a wheelchair. I had visions of him being in a vegetative state. I really was worried about his prognosis, and to see him be able to walk and talk and work and get married and probably become a father someday, that's rewarding. I just feel really grateful that I was able to be there to see this, to see the situation unfold," she said.
Healing Through Helping Loss and Life
The healing Ruffing found at Lease's wedding carried special significance. She lost her father in the same hospital where Lease was treated in November 2022.
"At that same hospital on November 15, my dad had a heart attack in the ICU in front of my mom and me, and there wasn't any CPR that could help him, and he died that day in that same hospital," Ruffing said. "To have my dad's death be so sudden and so unexpected. I think I really needed to go to Brendon's wedding to heal because losing my dad has been so devastating for me."
So while she was at his wedding, she said she was able to heal and see that even though bad things happen, there are still good things in the world, too.
"The doctors tried to help my dad, but he died in the Cath Lab. They were trying to fix the blockage in his heart. They did everything they could, and so I think that made Brendon's life even more miraculous. That not everybody dies right," she said.
She credits Lease's survival to more than just CPR and said everyone should learn how to perform it.
"I also found out at his wedding that his body temperature was really, really low, and I think that was a real blessing because it helped preserve him," she said.
For Ruffing, Lease represents something beyond a successful rescue. She said helping leads to healing.
"The reason I really wanted to go see Brendon, and I think a little bit of it was selfish, right? I wanted to I felt like I needed to see him, and I needed to get recharged from him, so I guess it was his turn to help me," Ruffing said. "And that was very successful, and it was very fun to spend time with Adriene and travel with her and to meet Ashley, Brendon's new wife. It was a very therapeutic trip for me and helped me heal because I really miss my dad, and we're coming up on three years that he's been gone, and so Brendon and his family helped me heal."
The connection between them defies an easy explanation.
"I think when you see somebody vulnerable, like he was dead, no pulse, no breath, his arms were floppy. His fingernails were blue, and then you can see him walking and talking. Something happens, like a connection. Usually around the holidays, I think about him more, and so I'm excited. I'm excited for his first year of marriage, and keep in touch that way," she said.
"I don't know, it kind of sounds hokey, but I kinda know how he feels, like I kinda know him. I do believe in energy. I do believe we share energy as humans, and I can feel his energy. I kinda know how he's feeling, even when he's in Michigan and I'm in Idaho, like, I know he's OK, you know, and he's engaged now, and he's getting married, and you know, social media helps too, because I can. I can see what he's posting, and we stay friends on Facebook, and that's great, but it's different when you get to see him in person and hug him and talk to him and spend time with him," Ruffing said.
The trip to Michigan served a purpose beyond celebration.
"I know there are miracles because Brendon is one," Ruffing said, "because Brendon is a miracle."
She said she was sure he was gone, but now he is alive and living a normal life.
"I started thinking about when Brendon becomes a father. I think they will have a family, and that's a miracle too. You know this man who died is gonna be able to father children," Ruffing said.