The Happy Pod: Saving a drowning man changed me
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.2 • 7.8K Ratings
🗓️ 15 November 2025
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We speak to a woman who saved the life of a kayaker, after spotting him floating face down in Idaho's Snake River. Rachelle Ruffing says knowing CPR allowed her to 'make a miracle' which has changed her, and everyone should learn how to do it. She says she still finds it hard to believe that the man made a full recovery and that attending his recent wedding was a privilege.
Also: the Afghan women's football team returns to the international stage, four years after the players fled the Taliban. FIFA changed the venue of the tournament to allow them to take part. Conservationists find a way to save a rare albatross by getting birds from another species to act as foster parents for their eggs. We hear how old home movies are being rescued so people can relive precious family moments decades later. Plus, after the fat bears of Alaska, we find out about the squirrels bulking up for winter in Texas; and we meet the man who can charm animals with his music, even stopping a herd of rhinos in their tracks.
Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:05.5 | This is the Happy Pod from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:13.6 | I'm Oliver Conway, and in this edition... |
| 0:16.7 | And I just embraced him and hugged him. |
| 0:20.1 | I just sobbed and I was just really grateful that he was alive. |
| 0:23.9 | The woman who saved a man from drowning and then watched him walk down the aisle. |
| 0:28.6 | A return to the international stage for Afghanistan's women footballers. |
| 0:32.7 | It is fantastic. |
| 0:34.1 | We are making a history. |
| 0:36.2 | And I'm so grateful for FIFA for investing and trusting us and believing in women's empowerment. |
| 0:43.3 | We meet the team saving the black-footed albatross from extinction. Also, my dad passed away last year. |
| 0:50.6 | So if he's on here, that will be quite sort of special just to sort of see him at that time. |
| 0:55.6 | The festival bringing old family videos back to life. |
| 0:59.4 | And after fat bears of Alaska, we hear about the fat squirrels of Texas. |
| 1:10.4 | We begin on the Snake River in the US state of Idaho. |
| 1:14.7 | Five years ago, while out paddleboarding, Rochelle Ruffing came across a man who was drowning. |
| 1:20.7 | Rochelle worked tirelessly with onlookers to give the man multiple rounds of CPR, |
| 1:25.8 | and eventually they managed to restart his heart. |
| 1:28.8 | Half a decade on, Rochelle attended the man's wedding, a joyful celebration that may never have |
| 1:33.9 | happened if she and the others hadn't stepped in to save his life that day. |
| 1:38.0 | To respect the man's privacy, we're referring to him as the kayaker. |
| 1:41.8 | Rochelle spoke to Harry Bly about how the day unfolded, and as she put it, |
... |
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