Peter Ghobrial had no idea he was dying — rescuing his daughter from drowning saved his life

Hero dad Peter Ghobrial did not hesitate to plunge into the ocean at Sorrento when his teen daughter got caught out in deep water. He never would have guessed his selfless act would save his own life as well.

A hero dad has saved his own life by rescuing his daughter, after the frantic swim to reach her exposed his heart’s ticking “time bomb” before it was too late.

When Peter Ghobrial, 47, jumped into the sea to reach his 14-year-old daughter Natalie, who had drifted into deep water while chasing a volleyball, his only thought was her safety.

He had no idea his swim would trigger the massive blockage in his heart’s main artery — a silent killer that can have zero symptoms until the moment it causes a fatal heart attack.

But Peninsula Health cardiologist Professor Jamie Layland said Peter’s efforts to bring his daughter to shore had acted as a “stress test” that exposed his heart’s life-threatening blockages.

“It was almost like a time bomb, just sitting in his heart, he had no idea,” he said.

“He’s extremely lucky.

“A blockage in your main artery... if it’s as critical as his was, that will get worse over time.

“If he was in the community, just walking around, and it blocked off he’d be dead pretty much.

“It’s very, very unlikely that we’d be able to get him back.”

Peter with wife Fiby, son Giovanni, 12, and daughters Celina, 8, and Natalie, 14. Picture: David Caird

Peter saved his daughter, Natalie, 14, from drowning at a Sorrento beach. Picture: David Caird

The hero in question, now recovering at home after coronary artery bypass graft surgery to repair the blockages, still has the volleyball his daughter chased after that day at Sorrento Beach.

The date he nearly died, January 13, is scrawled across it.

He said he thanked God every day “for giving me another chance to stay longer with my family, my kids”.

“I had no symptoms – I had never felt anything before,” he said.

“Saving my daughter, saved my life.

“It’s a miracle for me and my family.”

He said he swam as quick as he could that day to reach his daughter but — once he got her back to shore — he quickly realised something was wrong.

“She was okay, but I couldn’t catch my breath,” he said.

“I started to cough blood, my kids were crying and sobbing.

“My wife called the ambulance immediately.”

Peter was rushed to hospital after saving his daughter. Picture: Supplied.

Peter had fluid in his lungs and was rushed by ambulance to Frankston Hospital, where he was stabilised and spent several days in intensive care.

Prof Layland said Peter was “pretty much back to normal” after a few days but the doctor was concerned the fluid in his lungs was not caused by sea water as initially believed.

“I kind of actually wanted to take him under my care just to shake his hand because he saved his daughter,” he said.

“I thought that was a real heroic thing to do.”

He said he convinced the father to undergo further testing, which revealed the true cause of his episode on the beach — and how “very lucky” he had been to survive.

“He had a very, very bad blockage,” he said.

“[He] could have dropped dead on the beach.”

He said the heart was quiet resilient at rest and could compensate for “reduced blood flow”.

“But the minute you put it under stress, it’s unable to maintain blood flow to the heart muscle.”

He said this had ultimately caused fluid to build up in Peter’s lungs, triggering the episode on the beach.

Mr Ghobrial is urging the public to get a heart check up. Picture: David Caird

Peter’s story was also an important reminder that some people don’t have symptoms, highlighting the importance of check-ups if you have any risk factors, he added.

“Sometimes people can have quite major blockages and be walking around … in day-to-day life and not realise it,” he said.

“If you’ve got risk factors, then you need to see your GP.”

Peter, who was transferred to Monash Health to undergo the surgery after Prof Layland’s discovery, said a doctor there could also not believe he was alive.

“He said this is a ‘silent sentence’, you can die anytime, anywhere,” he said.

“You are so lucky, your daughter saved your life.”

Peter said he was incredibly grateful to everyone who looked after him, and was now looking forward to returning to work in the next week or two after a rollercoaster few months.

“I appreciate everyone helping me,” he said.

“There’s so many different feelings you get: very shocked, very sad, then very happy, then very thankful.

“Life is very, very, very short.

“It may be all finished in seconds, at any time.

“To be honest every single day I thank God, he gave me another chance in this world to stay longer with my family and my kids.”

Peter shared his story to help raise funds for Peninsula Health’s cardiology department. Donate here.

Originally published as Peter Ghobrial had no idea he was dying — rescuing his daughter from drowning saved his life