Mother Shares Story of Son’s Near Drowning to Help Others
An Indiana family is thankful to have their 5-year-old son home from the hospital days after he nearly drowned in a friend's pool.
In a gripping Facebook post, Maribeth Leeson shares the story of her son's ordeal and pleads with other parents to take water safety seriously.
"My son drowned 3 days ago. His limp, gray, lifeless body was pulled from the pool and it was every mother's worst nightmare," her post begins.
She goes on to describe the next agonizing moments and the fear she felt knowing that Adam's siblings had just witnessed his death. "I thought about his twin brother and how could his life go on without his twin. I saw my 10-year-old son, hysterically sobbing, in his bright blue swim trunks, his beautiful tan skin glistening with pool water still. His life ruined because he just watched his brother die, drowned in the same pool where he was playing. I saw my sassy little 3-year-old daughter, in her pink unicorn and rainbow suit, just watching me, confused."
Leeson's friend Kristin tirelessly performed CPR. And then, she says, a miracle happened.
"I don't remember what it was [at] first, but he showed some sign of life because several people at the same time exclaimed 'There he is!' and encouraged me to keep talking to him."
Adam then began to come around during the ambulance ride to the hospital. "He jerked his arm back with the IV needle stick! He cried! He was coughing! Somehow, my baby was still with me!"
Leeson takes responsibility, saying "This was 100% preventable. The fault was MINE." She notes that this incident occurred mere feet from adults -- adults that simply thought he was playing. She urges parents to learn to recognize the signs of a struggle and to learn CPR.
"I'm sharing this because I want to prevent this from happening to anyone else," she says.