It takes just seconds for a child to drown

Grant Fieldon Brown’s first word was avocado. He loved strawberries and chocolate mint ice cream. Green was his favorite color. He had just graduated from kindergarten and had knocked off most of his summer reading list for first grade. He loved to ask questions. He loved to be tickled. He caught his first fish on Father’s Day when he was three years old. He was an adorable boy. He was loved and treasured by his family, friends and everyone who knew him. Just ask them.

Virginia Graeme Baker loved to swim. She was on a swim and dive team. She had been swimming unassisted since she was 3 years old. She loved life. She was a good student. She was loved and treasured by her family, friends and everyone who knew her. Just ask them.

Their lives were cut short. They both drowned. Grant was 6 and Virginia was 7.

Children drown quietly. It can take as little as 30 seconds, during which their initial panic to get out of the water creates the devastation that can take their lives, or in the case of near drowning, their brains. When drowning, a child will involuntarily take a breath, drawing water directly into their airway. The terrified, struggling child will either cough or swallow water. This attempt to get air causes throat spasms, sealing off the path to the lungs. With the airway closed, water tunnels directly to the stomach. The throat relaxes, the child becomes unconscious, water fills the lungs.

Grant died at a day camp for children his age. Adults at the pool who were supposed to be watching him were not. The adults were distracted, undertrained, and less than 10 feet from him. Grant was found four feet below the surface, on the bottom of the pool by two young sisters who retrieved his body.

Virginia Graeme drowned because she was sucked in by the powerful suction of a hot tub drain cover. She had entered the hot tub and went under water. Her sister noticed she wasn’t coming back up. Her sister ran to get their mother. Her mother ran to the tub. She couldn’t see her daughter because of the bubbles and dark water. She jumped into the hot tub and discovered the horrific sight of her daughter’s unconscious body. She tried to free her but couldn’t. Two adult men ran to help. When they finally were able to pull Virginia away from the sucking drain, the drain broke.

These children are unfortunately part of the statistic: drowning is a leading cause of death for children. Children drown in pools, tubs, hot tubs, rivers, ponds and buckets of water.

Near drowning is also a threat to children. For every child who drowns, four suffer brain injury from near drowning incidents.

Drowning and near drowning are both preventable.

The loss of these children has left a chasm as wide and deep as any chasm on earth.

Grant’s father, Dr. Jeff Brown, has taken his personal tragedy and funded scholarship monies covering the tuition costs for mature youths to become certified lifeguards. He never misses an opportunity to spread the word about how important trained adult supervision is in preventing a needless death. Dr Brown is a friend of mine who lives in Boston. Knowing him, knowing the tragic story of Grant’s death, how it should never have happened, inspires a passion in me to spread the word to you: drowning is a preventable death.

In Florida in order to be a certified lifeguard one must be certified in lifeguarding or swimming instruction by the American Red Cross, YMCA or other agency that meets established training standards. Lifeguards must also be certified in first aid and in adult, child, and infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation through the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, National Safety Council or other approved agency. Section 64E-9.008 Florida Law states the supervision and safety of swimmers is the burden and responsibility of all owners, managers, lifeguards and swimming instructors in charge of or working at a public swimming pool. Private pools should always have barriers to prevent curious children from entering without an adult.

Virginia Graeme’s parents led the crusade to pass what was to become known as the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. It was passed in December 2008. It was created to enhance the safety of public and private pools and spas. It encourages multiple layers of protection to reduce the risk of children drowning. It aims to reduce the number of suction entrapment incidents, injuries and deaths. The act also is dedicated to educating the public about the importance of constant supervision of children in and around water.

April is dedicated to preventing child abuse and educating the public on drowning prevention. Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Major Connie Shingledecker, child advocate, is right when she says “You will never know the lives you save, only the ones you didn’t.”

If you have a pool or know someone who has a pool, have the discussion about who is going to be the watcher of children in the pool. Openly discuss and asses if the pool has sufficient barriers to prevent accidental entry. If you go to a public pool check to see the lifeguards are certified. Then thank them for becoming certified.

I quote Dr. Brown, Grant’s father: “I always picture parents standing behind me in the drowning line, begging me to make sure we keep at these efforts so their child isn’t the next child to drown. I would have been on my knees begging the person in front of us to not stop until common sense prevailed.”

Let us all be aware of not only the beauty of water but of the dangers that lurk under the water.

This story was originally published April 3, 2018 at 9:34 AM with the headline "It takes just seconds for a child to drown."