A grieving mother’s warning: Require pool safety equipment
I lost my beautiful 14-month-old son Sylas to a traumatic drowning accident on May 25. My life changed in a matter of seconds. I lost sight of him momentarily and began searching for him all over the house, screaming his name out. My husband’s horrific scream, after checking the backyard, is something I will never forget. He pulled him out of the water, lifeless, no color to his body and we immediately called 911.
How did he get out of the house? Why didn’t I hear him? Why did the dogs not bark? None of the patio doors were open. I suspect my son managed to get through the doggy door and then made his way into our swimming pool. We spent two weeks in the hospital, day and night, praying for a miracle, before he passed away. Doctors told us that if he would have survived, he would most likely have been left in a permanently vegetative state.
If I had a pool fence, my beautiful Sylas would still be alive today. Because toddlers and children under the age of 4 are more likely to die from a drowning accident than any other accidental injury, it should be a requirement to comply with pool safety before moving into a home with a swimming pool.
Accidents can happen the first day you move into a home, however, pool safety is only enforced the first time a pool is built. This, our first home, never came with any pool safety equipment. One week before the accident, I had reached out to a pool fence company to begin installation, but everything slowed down due to COVID-19, and they were not able to come by in time. Accidents happen, and we are human, but these accidents are almost 100% preventable and if I had installed a pool fence or pool alarm, I would not have to live with a lifetime of grief. Grief of not only losing my child, but of losing the future I hoped to have with him one day. To watch him grow older. It is the worst pain imaginable.
Drownings are silent. We never imagine they can happen to our children. Our children are always glued to us. We all imagine that if our child were to unexpectedly fall in the pool, we would hear or see something and immediately pull them out of the water.
With over 1.1 million swimming pools in Florida, hot climate all year round, parents working from home and parents juggling multiple kids, our kids are at the highest risk for accidental drownings. Florida drowning rates are up 70% from this time last year. It takes 20 seconds before they’re unconscious. Five minutes before permanent brain damage. Over five minutes will likely lead to death or severe neurological damage.
If you have young children, do not wait to get a pool fence and/or pool alarm immediately to protect your kids from a tragic accidental drowning. Even one day could mean the loss of your child. Toddlers are naturally curious and experts at escaping adult supervision. Swim lessons can’t prevent all drowning accidents, therefore, it is imperative that our homes comply with pool safety at all times. This should not be optional.
In light of my son Sylas’ tragic accident, I created a petition asking the Florida Legislature to require pool safety compliance upon purchasing a home to prevent more children from accidental drownings. The same way that you cannot leave a hospital without a car seat. No life should be lost for the lack of stricter pool safety laws. Your help with the mission to pass the Sylas Alexander Gatlyn Pool Safety Home Sale Compliance Act can save your children’s lives. Please visit TheSylasProject.org.
Andrea Montoya Gatlyn is a Miami resident.