It was supposed to be just like any other day. I dropped my five year old daughter off at Summer Day Care, then headed out to run errands. Only this day was different. Around lunch time I received a phone call from the Day Care, knowing the kids were on a field trip at a water park, my heart dropped. It was a parents worst nightmare happening. I answered the phone and tried to remain calm, but the women on the other end asked me if I was sitting down. But, I was already so worked up I couldn’t sit. She went on to tell me that there had been an accident at the park and my daughter wasn’t breathing.

I drove as fast as I could to Akron Children’s Hospital, and by the time I arrived she was awake. Paramedics told me it was a teacher who revived her. We spent some time with several doctors to ensure my daughter could get the fluid out of her chest cavity and lungs and that there was no brain damage. 

For several weeks after the accident, my daughter was terrified of all water from running water in the sink to the shower. That’s when I contacted the David YMCA and explained our situation to the Aquatics Director. She assured me that we would be placed with instructors that would be patient. So I signed us up for swim lessons. We started in the parent/child swim class, even though I was with her she held on tightly because she was scared. But slowly, she graduated to the next class. 

Swim lessons were such a big part of my daughter’s recovery without the patience of the instructors, she would still be afraid. My daughter is still in classes learning skills that will help her avoid a similar situation. Now, she jumps off the side of the pool, goes all the way under and loves it! 

- A Mother and Member of the Y