The day he saved me – tale of a heroic act, Ashley Batz on her grandfather’s life

«I have admiration for those willing to risk everything for the unknown – in my grandfather’s case, the chance at a better life for him and his family» Photographer Ashley Batz tale for Lampoon upcoming issue

Photographer Ashley Batz for Lampoon Magazine, in San Francisco

The Golden Gate Bridge – The seizures came and went at an early age. I’m not entirely sure why I had them,
or what they were even like in the moment – nor do I know when they stopped, how they were cured. In our family’s version of history it’s always just been that I had them until I didn’t anymore. 

I do know one story very well: the tale of a heroic act by my now 96-year-old papa, recounted and retold to me compulsively over the years, of the event that forever bonded us, the day he saved me. As he tells it, it always starts with the beet red face. You might picture a two year old so stubborn that she refuses to sip any oxygen, as if the air itself is a vile brussel sprout. The onset of shaking, uncontrollable. 

According to my papa, this time, no one was paying attention to me but him: my grandma was occupied at the sewing machine, and only he understood what needed to be done. Swiftly, in an act of divine revelation, he swept me up and placed me directly in the sink, flooding me with cold water. And just like that, I returned to life, a happy baby squealing next to the dishes. 

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more fixated on this story, or rather why he’s chosen to obsess over this tale above any other. Not the story that he stopped going to school in first grade to aid his father in delivering groceries by boat to neighboring islands off the coast of Napoli, nor how he spent his teenage years on merchant ships, traveling the world. He doesn’t care to tell you how he disembarked a ship in New York and simply decided not to get back on, opting to live illegally here for years. Or that he had to learn enough English so that he could get a job painting the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco so that my mother and uncle could go to school. 

I have the deepest admiration for those willing to risk everything for the unknown – in my grandfather’s case, the chance at a better life for him and his future family. Whether it was his quick thinking or the cold water that day that stopped my seizure, I owe it all to him. 

Photography Ashley Batz, Styling Carolina Orrico, Lampoon Fall 2022

Born just outside of San Francisco, Ashley Batz grew up with a strong connection to her Italian heritage and a deep drive for self-expression. Ashley’s approach to image making is rooted in the belief that everyone should feel celebrated in this world. Growing up in an era when women were not considered viable ‘assistants,’ Ashley had to learn photography in many other ways rather than the traditional path. Finally, with the help of an internship with Art Streiber, she solidified that photographing people was her calling.

Editorial Team