My Swim Story:
Why did I choose to teach SURVIVAL Swim Lessons?
A very important life experience happened when I was just 9 years old. I was home sick from school with the stomach bug. It was my little brother's birthday that day and his friend came over to bring him a present. While they played and my mom chatted with his mom, somehow the boys got into our backyard where our pool was. Even with our gate being on a spring hinge, and my mom making sure it was locked, somehow the boys were able to get back there without anyone knowing.
After some time, my brother's friend, who was 2 year old, came to me, persistently mumbling something that I couldn't understand. Because I didn't feel well and couldn't make out what he was saying, I asked him to go tell his mom. He eventually walked away, and once he did, somehow it hit me what he had said, and I jumped up and said, "Mom, Jordan (my brother) is in the pool!" Everyone immediately ran outside and frantically scanned the pool. Not seeing him at first, we scanned the backyard. But then we saw something in the corner of the pool. Looking again in disbelief, it was my brother, floating, lying face down in the water. When my mom pulled him out, he was completely pale and not moving and I remember thinking he was dead. I remembered fearing the worst. After rushing him to the ER, I remember praying and praying for my brother. He wasn't moving, coughing, zero movement, even with my mom doing CPR. The doctor's worked and worked on him for hours. I even heard them saying that he had swallowed so much water, and it didn't look hopeful. But thankfully, God intervened and my brother's life was saved, even the doctors confirmed that it was a sheer miracle, because he had swallowed so much water and shouldn't have made it out alive or without massive brain damage.
This traumatic experience from my childhood has always propelled me forward when things were tough, and when I was presented with this opportunity, I knew God was calling me to ISR. This experience is my WHY! I do not want anyone to have to experience what our family went through because of a gate that didn't completley shut or due to a small moment of distraction. I had always felt like it was pivotal for me to be home that day and actually be the ONE whom my brother's friend came to for help. It has always inspired me and I know it will change the mission and passion of WHY I teach these type of lessons. My desire is that each child would receive the skills needed to problem solve in a situation where they found themselves alone underwater and would be able to reach AIR, Independently on their own, and LIVE!