Poolside near miss reveals quick, quiet danger of drowning

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/09/2022 (745 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Earlier this summer, my sister invited us to join her and her girls at a friend’s home for a swim. She was watching the place while they were away, and they’d given her the go ahead for the gathering.

The children splashed around in the pool, doing cannonballs off the diving board, and exploring below the water with nose plugs and goggles. As a group, they had our full attention, though at times one of them (usually one of the youngest) would demand all of it.

“Watch this,” they’d beckon, followed by a jump, splash and some kind of bow or thumbs-up when they resurfaced, indicating they were OK, before making their way to the side of the pool, climbing out, and doing it all over again.

This particular night was perfect for being in the pool. The sun stayed out well into the evening, and the air smelled like summer. We made full use of our invite, going back and forth between the pool and hot tub, which were in close proximity in a backyard we all wished was ours.

The kids (ranging in age from seven to 14) were never outside of adult supervision. They’ve all had swimming lessons and are continuing through the levels, and had plenty of experience in the water.

As the evening rolled on, and dusk began to hang in the sky like a dim curtain, the children soaked up the remaining minutes of pool time. I was outside with them, still in my bathing suit. Then, I got distracted.

I struggle to admit this, not only for fear of criticism (trust me when I tell you that I will always beat myself up for this), but because it was such a mindless error that could have had far worse consequences. I am horrified when I think about the what ifs.

The kids were swimming together, as they had been all evening without any issues. I turned my back to the pool — for maybe a minute — to power down the hot tub jets that had been left on. My partner and sister had gone in the house momentarily, so it was just me.

In that tiny sliver of time, my youngest daughter began to have trouble. A few seconds earlier, she had jumped off the diving board for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening. Instead of swimming to the side, as she had done every other time, she began to struggle.

There was no flailing arms or yells for help. There were none of the things you’d think would happen when someone suddenly loses their ability in the pool. She hadn’t begun to sputter or even take in water, but her body or perhaps her energy or confidence, or maybe all, shorted like a malfunctioning circuit. Somehow, this jump off the diving board didn’t land like all the rest of them.

With just a shred of her face poking out of the water, she uttered the word “help” just loud enough for the other girls to hear.

My niece Mia was the first to jump in after her, looping her arm around my daughter. The other girls — Amie, Sonia and Kennedy — immediately followed. They all dragged her to the side of the pool.

They are all heroes. Both the struggle and the heroic rescue happened in the blink of an eye, in less time than it probably took to read this story.

I’m not trying to sensationalize the situation; my daughter, after all didn’t take in any water. She hadn’t gotten to that point yet, thanks to her sisters and cousins. But I thought our experience was an important story to share.

According to safekids.org, drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among children between one and four years old, and the third-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among youth 19 and under.

I looked away for one minute — I didn’t leave the pool area, I just looked away — and the consequences could have been dire.

shelley.cook@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @ShelleyACook