The Way This Football Coach Kept 12 Boys, Trapped In A Thai Cave, Alive For 18 Days Goes Viral
A few weeks ago heartbreaking story captured everyone’s attention. In Thailand 12 boys, aged between 11 and 16, and their 25-year-old coach went missing. After the boys’ bikes were found next to an entrance of a cave it became clear that the torrential downpour had left them trapped in it.
It took 9 days of an intense rescue operation to find the boys alive and another 9 days to get them to safety. After 18 days trapped in the cave twelve boys and their coach have finally been rescued.
However, during this intense and stressful time, many people blamed the boys’ coach Ekkapol Chantawong. In defense of Ekkapol, Twitter user yvvonelim9 posted a thread about the coach and gathered some very important facts. Despite being accused of irresponsible behavior by taking children into the cave, it seems obvious by now that Ekkapol played an important role in keeping the trapped children alive.
Reportedly, the kind-hearted coach was the most malnourished because he gave away his share of food to the children, he taught the boys to meditate to help them conserve energy and kept their spirits high until the moment they were rescued.
Ekkapol proved himself to be a true hero in keeping the children alive, scroll to read his life story below!
More info: twitter.com
In Thailand, 12 boys and their 25-year-old football coach became trapped in a cave when rain flooded the escape route
Twitter user yvvonelim9 posted a thread about the coach and gathered some important facts about his life and his role in keeping the children alive
Today, after 18 days trapped in the cave twelve boys and their coach has finally been rescued
Image credits: Ekkapol Chantawong
During this intense and stressful time, many people have blamed the boys’ coach
Others praised the coach for helping to keep the children alive
477Kviews
Share on Facebook
The thing is, no one expected the cave to flood. Flash floods can happen very often in tropical countries, especially during the monsoon season. And such floods happen within seconds. It is a miracle that they are alive, and I believe without the coach's help, it would have been difficult for the boys to get out alive.
The sign says that. But the rain starts from July to August. It was only June at that time...
Load More Replies...
Before pointing fingers, let's be happy all kids and the coach are finally out. It is important now to support them and make sure they are safe. The experience must have been traumatic and it will be more when they will know a seal died in the operation.
who would even want to point a finger at this wonderful guy who kept his team alive and made it the miracle of the year. The boys would probably have gone into the caves regardless if he had been with them or not. If he had not been there it would likely have been a very different and tragic outcome
Load More Replies...
We're always in such a hurry to place blame, as if none of us have ever had a lapse in judgment.
Bless his heart, the coach did nothing wrong. The flood wasn't expected, how could it be his fault? From the sounds of it, in the end, he actually helped save their lives. What an incredible Hollywood tale this turned into! I honestly didn't think there'd be a happy ending, but they all made it out safe and sound, yeah! Let's hope they all stay that way.
I am always a believer that tragedy happens because the experience let's you handle something greater down the road. Think about the progression of events. If he hadn't been the only member of his nuclear family to survive that disease, he would have never gone to live with distant relatives, he would have never been sent to a monastery and learned valuable skills like meditation and patience, he would have not been the one to go take care of his ailing Grandmother, so he never would have been put in the position to look after those boys and save them when it was necessary. Think of the fact that anyone else in his situation would have probably still led those boys into the cave, but may have lacked the skills and compassion to make sure all of those boys would lived through the experience. And whether he likes it or not, he has 11 "sons" now that will look after him until the day he dies.
Amen, Carol, well said! I'm a firm believer in the hand that fate can play in our lives. Long story short, if one of the world's leading neurologists hadn't fallen in love with a nurse in St. John's, Newfoundland, here in Canada, I would be dead now. He happened to be visiting her in the '70s when I was brought in and was the only doctor in a room full of 'em that didn't like the shade on my head x-ray. No one else thought it important. He talked my parents into letting him "cut me open" to check and found a blood clot the size of a fried egg at the base of my skull. Hours away from reaching my brain. So, yeah, I hear ya!
Load More Replies...
Amazing. I've been following the news for a while and I was so glad to find out that all of the boys had been brought out safely. It's a miracle that God was watching out for them and that they all are alive and in a place that they can get proper treatment. I pray now that they all recover well.
Trip was supposed to be fun and adventurous. We all would have done that.. go exploring. It was flood which trapped them. Coach is a good man. He did all he could do. Those kids didn't freaked out, didn't hyperventilated. They kept calm and survived.
The coach and the rescue team saved the little boys' lives. He absolutely is a hero: he gave the boys all his food, taught them meditation to keep them focused and save some energy, never lost hope that someone would eventually find them. We would never be able to comprehend what they've been through: trapped in a pitch black cave with no notion of time and not knowing what's going to happen next - you must have a really strong state of mind to go through that. I really don't understand how people could even start blaming the coach. It was an accident, there was absolutely no way he could have predicted the flood. And he took the boys to the cave to celebrate a birthday, it all came from a wonderful attention. After what he and the boys have been through, I find it very unfair that people could point the fingers at someone who just saved the lives of 12 young teenagers.
wonderful story, well done BP. It was an accident, no one should blame
Why be angry? He didn't know it would flood. Just be happy they're all alive. Coach was willing to give them so much care and effort for them. He's the reason they got out alive. Like Titus Andromedon said, it's a miracle...
Ekkapol did make a mistake but that is something we all do. How he handled the consequences of his error says more about him than the error itself. We subject to making bad choices but it's how we deal with them is how we should be judged. He kept the boys safe and that is the important thing. Now, they all have a great story to tell their grandchildren and Ekkapol has grown a bit wiser. Kudos to the parents. In most countries, they would be lining up to file lawsuits.
I'm so glad they all got out safely. I don't think anyone could imagine what these kids had to go through... and to make it out alive
There's always someone to blame, isn't there? 12 boys celebrating a birthday, wanted to go in a cave with a chaperone by their side, what could go wrong? No one knew monsoon would come sooner than it was expected. Especially not the coach. Lets be honest, most of the people who are blaming it on the coach, would try to save their own asses first before the 12 kids if they were in the same situation. He tried and managed to save the kids from floods, malnourishment and thirst. It's easy to talk, but it's hard to actually act about it.
+if those kids are alive until they were found, it's because of the coach and his efforts and love for these children. Because he gave his food away to these kids and taught them how to meditate and how to drink water from the cave walls. Learn to be god damn grateful. It's easy to judge him where you sit at the comfort at your homes and suggest and share opinions about what he should have done. He's done what he should've done. Suck it up and move on. None of you could manage to make these children survive in such conditions. Stop with the f*****g judgement and learn to be thankful for what he's done for these kids.
Load More Replies...
What comes to my mind is he’s only 25, a very young man. Rains could have poured down suddenly, some bad luck, some negligence but like all things it’s how you handle it. I’m sure there will be sorrow, regret that a diver died but also courage to face the road ahead and try to become better people.
I'm glad this happened in Thailand, where the community sees the value of what he did to save the kids over the cost of a moment's poor judgement. Had that happened here in the US, the parents of these kids would already be filing lawsuits.
Yep- a lot of parents in the US would be filing lawsuits, for sure...The US needs to chill with the entitlement mentality and lesrn from other countries that you don't always get your way
Load More Replies...
Im veey happy to see them out there. God bless them. Hope they will accept invitation from the President of FIFA to watch World cup final in russia next week.
I think it was a lovely gesture, to invite them but I'm guessing that they're going to need more time to recover, return to their families and friends... maybe FIFA can do something to honor them at finals ( and promise them tickets for future matches)...who knows? The most important thing is that they're all ok. I wish them peace and healing...every player, coach and rescuer
Load More Replies...
I hope the coach is hailed a hero for keeping those boys calm and making sure they drank the clean water from the cave walls, not the dirty water which surrounded them. He seems like an amazing person.
This event was amazing. So few news stories these days have happy endings.
There's a great summary of at BBC, details I had been waiting for; it's very informative and very touching. The cave system is the best-known local attraction for fun and adventure; the whole area knows about it; when the boys didn't come home, their parents rushed to the cave, expecting them to be there, and found their bikes and shoes outside. "Everyone" goes there and is familiar with the place, and kids knew it well; they took snacks along to celebrate the birthday of one of the boys, named Night. Coach helped them survive FOURTEEN DAYS, virtually without food and water, by teaching them to meditate, breathe, and "slow down" to conserve energy and air. I am not a religious person and not a magical thinker, but I pretty much see this as a miracle, in total.
Why punish him, the mere fact that all 13 was stuck in the caves for over 2 weeks is punishment for him allready. Thank God he had that knowledge . Now all of a sudden all 13 made it out of the caves alive, he is a bad person and needs to be punished. What kind of human being are we when our mind switches like that. Sounds like the coach is more human than those who want to condemn him now.
We have all done stupid things, what matters is what you do after! I would have loved him as a coach.
This has been an incredible story. Though even here, after the fact, we still get conflicting information on the rescue. One picture shows the choke point as being up and over, out of the water and back in again. Another, the video, shows it as being down and up again, all under the water. It's not important, but I just wonder how the information comes out so different.
Kids are kid no matter where in the world they happen to be, caves are always exciting - they probably would have explored it themselves anyway and would not have known how to survive it. Maybe his life was spared when he was little because those kids would need him in his future. Who knows, its a pretty crazy world.
Well the boys are alive and that's a fact so quit speculating he's means a lot to a lot of people. People make mistakes he's beating himself up more than anybody could. So why don't all you naysayers look at your own mistakes that you've made and quit criticizing other people
I think first and foremost everyone should be grateful that this young man and children were all alive and found. The coach I'm sure didn't expect for the sudden flash flooding, and in a section of the article it read that putting their names on the wall was like a 'right'. I also am worried, like another part of the article read, that he will take the blame harder than needed and take his own life. I pray for ALL of these children, the young coach and all of their families.
No one expected the cave would flood but he looked after the kids and they all got out of there alive. True, he should not have gone there, he should have taken to note it could be dangerous, there could be a flash flood, but he didn't. People make mistakes and I'm sure he didn't deliberately mean anything like this to happen. Though he may still face some charges since even though they all got out of the caves alone, one of the rescuers died.
As a mother, I would blame him, bc he was the one in charge, he was the one who was supposed to keep them safe... I would be so angry! On the other hand... he did a great job doing whatever it took to take care of the kids. It´s hard to feel both ways but... God! Thank you all of them are safe now.
The thing is, no one expected the cave to flood. Flash floods can happen very often in tropical countries, especially during the monsoon season. And such floods happen within seconds. It is a miracle that they are alive, and I believe without the coach's help, it would have been difficult for the boys to get out alive.
The sign says that. But the rain starts from July to August. It was only June at that time...
Load More Replies... Before pointing fingers, let's be happy all kids and the coach are finally out. It is important now to support them and make sure they are safe. The experience must have been traumatic and it will be more when they will know a seal died in the operation.
who would even want to point a finger at this wonderful guy who kept his team alive and made it the miracle of the year. The boys would probably have gone into the caves regardless if he had been with them or not. If he had not been there it would likely have been a very different and tragic outcome
Load More Replies... We're always in such a hurry to place blame, as if none of us have ever had a lapse in judgment.
Bless his heart, the coach did nothing wrong. The flood wasn't expected, how could it be his fault? From the sounds of it, in the end, he actually helped save their lives. What an incredible Hollywood tale this turned into! I honestly didn't think there'd be a happy ending, but they all made it out safe and sound, yeah! Let's hope they all stay that way.
I am always a believer that tragedy happens because the experience let's you handle something greater down the road. Think about the progression of events. If he hadn't been the only member of his nuclear family to survive that disease, he would have never gone to live with distant relatives, he would have never been sent to a monastery and learned valuable skills like meditation and patience, he would have not been the one to go take care of his ailing Grandmother, so he never would have been put in the position to look after those boys and save them when it was necessary. Think of the fact that anyone else in his situation would have probably still led those boys into the cave, but may have lacked the skills and compassion to make sure all of those boys would lived through the experience. And whether he likes it or not, he has 11 "sons" now that will look after him until the day he dies.
Amen, Carol, well said! I'm a firm believer in the hand that fate can play in our lives. Long story short, if one of the world's leading neurologists hadn't fallen in love with a nurse in St. John's, Newfoundland, here in Canada, I would be dead now. He happened to be visiting her in the '70s when I was brought in and was the only doctor in a room full of 'em that didn't like the shade on my head x-ray. No one else thought it important. He talked my parents into letting him "cut me open" to check and found a blood clot the size of a fried egg at the base of my skull. Hours away from reaching my brain. So, yeah, I hear ya!
Load More Replies... Amazing. I've been following the news for a while and I was so glad to find out that all of the boys had been brought out safely. It's a miracle that God was watching out for them and that they all are alive and in a place that they can get proper treatment. I pray now that they all recover well.
Trip was supposed to be fun and adventurous. We all would have done that.. go exploring. It was flood which trapped them. Coach is a good man. He did all he could do. Those kids didn't freaked out, didn't hyperventilated. They kept calm and survived.
The coach and the rescue team saved the little boys' lives. He absolutely is a hero: he gave the boys all his food, taught them meditation to keep them focused and save some energy, never lost hope that someone would eventually find them. We would never be able to comprehend what they've been through: trapped in a pitch black cave with no notion of time and not knowing what's going to happen next - you must have a really strong state of mind to go through that. I really don't understand how people could even start blaming the coach. It was an accident, there was absolutely no way he could have predicted the flood. And he took the boys to the cave to celebrate a birthday, it all came from a wonderful attention. After what he and the boys have been through, I find it very unfair that people could point the fingers at someone who just saved the lives of 12 young teenagers.
wonderful story, well done BP. It was an accident, no one should blame
Why be angry? He didn't know it would flood. Just be happy they're all alive. Coach was willing to give them so much care and effort for them. He's the reason they got out alive. Like Titus Andromedon said, it's a miracle...
Ekkapol did make a mistake but that is something we all do. How he handled the consequences of his error says more about him than the error itself. We subject to making bad choices but it's how we deal with them is how we should be judged. He kept the boys safe and that is the important thing. Now, they all have a great story to tell their grandchildren and Ekkapol has grown a bit wiser. Kudos to the parents. In most countries, they would be lining up to file lawsuits.
I'm so glad they all got out safely. I don't think anyone could imagine what these kids had to go through... and to make it out alive
There's always someone to blame, isn't there? 12 boys celebrating a birthday, wanted to go in a cave with a chaperone by their side, what could go wrong? No one knew monsoon would come sooner than it was expected. Especially not the coach. Lets be honest, most of the people who are blaming it on the coach, would try to save their own asses first before the 12 kids if they were in the same situation. He tried and managed to save the kids from floods, malnourishment and thirst. It's easy to talk, but it's hard to actually act about it.
+if those kids are alive until they were found, it's because of the coach and his efforts and love for these children. Because he gave his food away to these kids and taught them how to meditate and how to drink water from the cave walls. Learn to be god damn grateful. It's easy to judge him where you sit at the comfort at your homes and suggest and share opinions about what he should have done. He's done what he should've done. Suck it up and move on. None of you could manage to make these children survive in such conditions. Stop with the f*****g judgement and learn to be thankful for what he's done for these kids.
Load More Replies... What comes to my mind is he’s only 25, a very young man. Rains could have poured down suddenly, some bad luck, some negligence but like all things it’s how you handle it. I’m sure there will be sorrow, regret that a diver died but also courage to face the road ahead and try to become better people.
I'm glad this happened in Thailand, where the community sees the value of what he did to save the kids over the cost of a moment's poor judgement. Had that happened here in the US, the parents of these kids would already be filing lawsuits.
Yep- a lot of parents in the US would be filing lawsuits, for sure...The US needs to chill with the entitlement mentality and lesrn from other countries that you don't always get your way
Load More Replies... Im veey happy to see them out there. God bless them. Hope they will accept invitation from the President of FIFA to watch World cup final in russia next week.
I think it was a lovely gesture, to invite them but I'm guessing that they're going to need more time to recover, return to their families and friends... maybe FIFA can do something to honor them at finals ( and promise them tickets for future matches)...who knows? The most important thing is that they're all ok. I wish them peace and healing...every player, coach and rescuer
Load More Replies... I hope the coach is hailed a hero for keeping those boys calm and making sure they drank the clean water from the cave walls, not the dirty water which surrounded them. He seems like an amazing person.
This event was amazing. So few news stories these days have happy endings.
There's a great summary of at BBC, details I had been waiting for; it's very informative and very touching. The cave system is the best-known local attraction for fun and adventure; the whole area knows about it; when the boys didn't come home, their parents rushed to the cave, expecting them to be there, and found their bikes and shoes outside. "Everyone" goes there and is familiar with the place, and kids knew it well; they took snacks along to celebrate the birthday of one of the boys, named Night. Coach helped them survive FOURTEEN DAYS, virtually without food and water, by teaching them to meditate, breathe, and "slow down" to conserve energy and air. I am not a religious person and not a magical thinker, but I pretty much see this as a miracle, in total.
Why punish him, the mere fact that all 13 was stuck in the caves for over 2 weeks is punishment for him allready. Thank God he had that knowledge . Now all of a sudden all 13 made it out of the caves alive, he is a bad person and needs to be punished. What kind of human being are we when our mind switches like that. Sounds like the coach is more human than those who want to condemn him now.
We have all done stupid things, what matters is what you do after! I would have loved him as a coach.
This has been an incredible story. Though even here, after the fact, we still get conflicting information on the rescue. One picture shows the choke point as being up and over, out of the water and back in again. Another, the video, shows it as being down and up again, all under the water. It's not important, but I just wonder how the information comes out so different.
Kids are kid no matter where in the world they happen to be, caves are always exciting - they probably would have explored it themselves anyway and would not have known how to survive it. Maybe his life was spared when he was little because those kids would need him in his future. Who knows, its a pretty crazy world.
Well the boys are alive and that's a fact so quit speculating he's means a lot to a lot of people. People make mistakes he's beating himself up more than anybody could. So why don't all you naysayers look at your own mistakes that you've made and quit criticizing other people
I think first and foremost everyone should be grateful that this young man and children were all alive and found. The coach I'm sure didn't expect for the sudden flash flooding, and in a section of the article it read that putting their names on the wall was like a 'right'. I also am worried, like another part of the article read, that he will take the blame harder than needed and take his own life. I pray for ALL of these children, the young coach and all of their families.
No one expected the cave would flood but he looked after the kids and they all got out of there alive. True, he should not have gone there, he should have taken to note it could be dangerous, there could be a flash flood, but he didn't. People make mistakes and I'm sure he didn't deliberately mean anything like this to happen. Though he may still face some charges since even though they all got out of the caves alone, one of the rescuers died.
As a mother, I would blame him, bc he was the one in charge, he was the one who was supposed to keep them safe... I would be so angry! On the other hand... he did a great job doing whatever it took to take care of the kids. It´s hard to feel both ways but... God! Thank you all of them are safe now.
466
57