reader submissions. It is an attempt to allow people to tell their
personal stories, in the hopes of bringing greater compassion to the
unique issues each of us face. If you would like to submit a story to
this series, click here. Today’s guest posts is by Sarah.
I have always
been a bit paranoid about kids and water. Chalk it up to my life
experiences, when I was young my best friend’s sister died from
drowning. In my line of work I have taken care of many children
permanently brain damaged from near drowning experiences. So I have
vowed to be extra careful around my kids and water.
I put my
children in swimming lessons as soon as they are allowed to go into the
water on their own. Not one class per year, but two or three, It is a
bit of a pain but I really want my children to be strong swimmers. They
have to wear life jackets around water, even if they are just playing in
the sand. I will not allow them near water unless there is at least one
adult for every two kids.
And still, my child almost drowned.
It happened when we were on vacation. We spent some time in the spring
going down south, renting a house with a pool in the backyard. We all
swam in the morning and came out for lunch. After lunch my husband took
the baby inside and left me and my friend’s husband with four kids, two
three year olds and two five year olds.
We were both sitting on
chairs facing the pool. I was reading a book and looking up every few
minutes to make sure everyone was okay. Which they were, happily playing
in the grass. The next thing I know, I hear a strange cry and look up
to see my friend holding my daughter.
I did not realize at first
the extent of what happened; my friend simply said that she was in the
water. But I quickly became worried. When I went to get her, her skin
felt cold and her toes were blue-ish. She was exhausted, and when I put
my hand on her back I could feel the crackles in her lungs. She would
answer our questions but we had to fight with her to keep her awake.
My
husband and I decided to take her to the emergency. On the way there
our insurance company told us they would not cover the cost. I remember
getting to the hospital and the nurses were asking me about her
allergies and thinking: JUST CHECK HER OUT NOW!
Thankfully her
chest x-ray was clear and our normally cheerful and energetic daughter
began to perk up. And so ended the scariest hours of my life to date. On
the drive home she was happily singing her favorite song, one of the
most beautiful things I have ever heard! (Even though she got both the
lyrics and the tune wrong!)
We figured out what happened later.
My husband had taken off her life jacket for lunch. Neither of us
thought she would go into the pool on her own, although for some reason
the fact that she did not have it on did not register with me. Maybe
because she was playing on the grass, not next to the pool. What we did
not realize was that she thought she could swim without a lifejacket on.
There was a toy floating in the pool that she wanted to play with, and
she walked in.
The scary part is that she did not make a sound.
She walked in quietly. She struggled quietly. There was not a single
splash. She did not cry out. She was less than 10 feet in front of my
nose, and there was another adult sitting facing the pool and yet
another adult on the deck and none of us noticed.
Thankfully the other three year old did and told his dad. And the two of them saved my child.
What
do I want you to know from this? First, you can never be too careful.
Second, don’t be too quick to judge other parents or caregivers when
their children get hurt. Not everything can be prevented, and if it was
their fault (or even if it wasn’t) they are likely consumed by guilt
already. Third, cherish those you love, it seems so surreal and scary
that my precious daughter was almost lost, in such a short period of
time. They all have been getting extra hugs lately
