A tragic incident occurred in Greece where a pregnant teacher, Clara Thomann, lost her life after falling 164 feet down a gorge. Clara, who was six months pregnant at the time, was hiking with her partner, Elliott Finn, near Preveli Monastery on the island of Crete. Unfortunately, she slipped and fell into the gorge, leading to her untimely demise.
When her partner called for help, first responders came to her rescue. According to SF Gate, she was still conscious when they reached her.
It took hours to carry out the rescue operation.
Local first responders, including over 20 firefighters, swiftly came to the aid of Clara, a science teacher at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, California. The rescue mission was made more difficult as Clara had fallen into a hard-to-reach location. On December 24, video footage of the rescue efforts was shared by Greek news outlet Neakriti, as reported by the Greek Reporter.
She was quickly taken to the hospital.
Clara, despite losing her unborn baby in the fall, remained alive and conscious when first responders came to her rescue. They swiftly transported her to a local hospital in Rethymno, and later transferred her to the intensive care unit at Chania General Hospital, as reported by SF Gate.
Unfortunately, only a few days after her fall, doctors declared her dead, stating that despite the best efforts of everyone involved, they were unable to save her life, according to the Greek Reporter.
She had chosen to become a registered organ donor.
Clara’s liver, kidneys, and corneas were donated for transplants in Greece. She had registered as an organ donor in the United States. In response to her generous act, the Chania General Hospital Administration expressed their heartfelt condolences to Clara’s family and admired their immense compassion and humanitarian spirit. According to the Greek Reporter, a statement was released acknowledging this incredible gesture.
According to her family, she had a deep passion for helping and teaching others. As a result, it came as no surprise that she was an organ donor, as it aligned perfectly with her innate desire to assist those in need.
Her family is devastated by the news and understandably so.
Veronica Katz, a spokesperson for the family, mentioned that a few of Clara’s loved ones made the journey to visit her prior to her passing. In a heartfelt message on CaringBridge, Veronica wrote, “Life can be unpredictable and filled with pain, but we know that Clara would want us all to draw lessons from this tragic experience and embrace it as an opportunity to come together and celebrate.” She further added that Clara held a deep fondness for the Thomann family motto of “finding reasons to gather and celebrate” with loved ones, no matter how big or small the occasion.
The school community expressed their sincere messages of support and sympathy.
“I appreciated the leadership she showed in her classroom and how she made physics fun and interesting and the love that each student felt from her,” the parent of one student wrote, per the New York Post . “She will be missed but never forgotten.”
Bill Woodard, the principal at the school where Clara taught, expressed his profound sadness, stating that there are simply no words to adequately describe the depth of emotion being experienced by the entire community.
“Ms. Thomann was so kind and such a great teacher who loved her students and loved science,” the principal told Noozhawk . “Our hearts break for her family and for all of us who are feeling this loss.”