For Every Day Spent Saving Kids From Drowning…I Am Thankful

Last updated on March 2nd, 2018 at 01:47 pm

Thanksgiving is around the corner, a time to focus on all that you are grateful for in your life. We’d be here a very long time if I were to list everything in my life that I am blessed with, so today I’ll just focus on one thing. My work. I have, absolutely, hands-down, the best job on the planet. If I do my job well, children stop dying, and every day I work with the coolest people around. Really, it doesn’t get any better. I am very grateful.

The great thing about working in the water safety field is that water makes people passionate. Being in and around water brings enormous joy, though sometimes water can be associated with the most intense sorrow of losing a loved one too early, especially a child. All of us who work in water safety understand the deep healing powers of water, and respect it’s power. There is commitment, enormous joy, and a sense of hope that inspires me every day.

Today, rather than talk about what you can do to keep your child safer around water, I’d like to recognize just a few of the people and organizations who are working tirelessly to make your child safer every day. I work with people all over the world, and I can’t recognize them all here, but I’d like to give you some small idea of the range of people who want you to be happy, and safe. It’s an awesome community and it is a true honor and a privilege to work with these people.

Matt and Chris Hales, two teenagers from California who realized that some of the kids most at risk for drowning can’t afford the basic equipment you need to learn to swim. They formed Goggles for Guppies which provides swimsuits, swim caps, and goggles to children in need. Thank you for reminding us, again, that kids can change the world positively.

Christina Fonfe of the Sri Lanka Women’s Swimming Project, who heard about the 2004 tsunami, realized that 80% of the victims were women and children, and got on a plane just days later with the goal of teaching women how to swim. She has changed women’s lives, and their children’s lives, in unimaginable ways by giving them skills to live that also bring economic empowerment and respect in their community. Thank you for looking through the obvious tragedy and finding a way to avert future tragedy and enhance women and children’s lives.

The great guys (and Raquel) at ISLA, Nile Swimmers and Lifeguards Without Borders for understanding that a well-trained lifeguard on duty at the beach is the best insurance against drowning. These organizations go to the countries with big drowning problems and virtually no lifeguards, to train lifeguards, which increases safety, raises awareness, and provides people with a source of employment and respect. Thank you for showing us how collaboration and leveraging social media can bring the entire world together.

Moses Kalanzi in Uganda, and the many people around the world like him. Often there are literally just a handful of people in each country who are working to make people aware that drowning is a leading cause of death and that drowning can be prevented. Working with virtually no resources and even less understanding by the public of why they should care about water safety, Moses, and so many like him, are reaching out across countries and working tirelessly for change. Moses has been instrumental in bringing together major stakeholders in Uganda as well as international collaborators in the water safety field, in the first ever meeting to talk about water safety in Uganda, this month. Thank you for showing us that one determined person can change a country, and the world.

Michael and Jo-Ann Morris of the Samuel Morris Foundation who decided that their personal tragedy should never happen to another parent. Their son, Samuel, died this year, 8 years after a non-fatal drowning accident at age two that left him severely mentally and physically disabled. The Morris’ cared for their son tirelessly while also becoming outspoken advocates for water safety in Australia and beyond, and a voice for the thousands of parents who are caring for children who didn’t die from drowning, but became permanently disabled. Thank you for showing us that a parent’s love and devotion truly knows no boundaries and being relentless in your pursuit of changes in attitudes and behavior.

Princess Charlene of Monaco, our true fairy princess. Princess Charlene could justifiably rest on her laurels as that great triple threat: an Olympic swimmer; a Princess; and a Head of State. Instead, she chose to lend her considerable talent and determination to ending an epidemic that few have even heard of, drowning. The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation has been in existence just over a year, but has already made a huge impact around the world funding programs and raising awareness. To the Princess and her amazing team at the Foundation, thank you for being willing to take the hard road and help us raise the profile of the global drowning epidemic, and to provide funding for so many of the incredible programs that were struggling without your help.

Please join me in saying thank you to all of these people, and to the people in your own community that are working to make you and your children safer. The swimming instructors, the lifeguards, the guy who installed your pool fence, the nurse at the hospital who told you never to leave your baby alone in the bathtub. They all share the same passion and commitment, to making sure that your family stays safe. So, please, take a minute to feel gratitude, send them a shout-out on social media or in your community, or donate to an organization that moves you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Forgotten Backseat Baby” Syndrome: an Unimaginable Danger

Last updated on August 30th, 2015 at 05:39 pm

“Huh? Forgotten what???” is what I imagine you are asking after reading the title. The next question that probably comes to mind is, “what kind of idiot would forget his/ her own child in a car?” As the parent survivor of a child who was tragically lost to vehicular #heatstroke in 2011 when her daddy forgot to drop her off at daycare that fateful morning, I WISH I could tell you that only idiots make this kind of mistake; that only a selfish monster could do such a deed…..sadly, most of the more than 600 kids who have died from being left in a hot car since 1998 were victims of what I like to call “forgotten backseat baby” syndrome; a mistake committed not by idiots or monsters, but a mistake made by folks you would never in a million years imagine: caring, loving, responsible parents. Most of them took nearly every precaution to child-proof their homes and to assure that the car seat was installed correctly; many of them also took parenting classes in preparation for their bundle of joy’s arrival. Sadly, most of these parents also never imagined the remote possibility of forgetting their child in the backseat of a vehicle. In other words, folks just like YOU and ME, sadly, are capable of forgetting our most precious cargo in the backseat of our cars under the right conditions.

Your protective defense mechanisms are probably kicking in right now and you are probably saying “yeah right, not a chance lady”. …..but for those of you still in denial that you could make such a mistake, here is a little food for thought.

Have you ever, in a moment of multi-tasking, sleep deprivation, running late for work, or being severely fatigued after a bought of illness (you, your spouse, your kids), done any of the following?

• Forgotten to turn off the headlights before exiting your car? (apparently so many of us in the past drained our batteries by doing this that most cars now have automatic function of headlights, or at least have an alert that “dings” when you open the door to let you know you forgot to turn off the lights)
• Left your ATM card in the machine after a transaction? (again, so many of us were guilty of this behavior that now most ATM machines have quick swipe technology so that we no longer have to wait for our cards to be returned)
• Forgotten to buckle your seatbelt? (are you thinking of that annoying alarm right now? So many front passengers have forgotten this safety routine in the past that the auto industry has decided we need this annoying reminder to protect our front seat cargo)
• Forgotten to turn off the coffee maker? (note that most brands now have an auto-shut-off feature for us poor souls who just aren’t fully awake until chugging a cup o’ joe)
• Walked into a room with a purpose to get/ do something, then arriving only to find that you couldn’t remember why you were there – no matter how hard to try?

If you have ever been guilty of any of those behaviors (or similar cases of stress-induced memory failure), then yes, unfortunately, you too are capable of forgetting a baby in the backseat.

I WISH I could tell you only a monster could do such a thing. Unfortunately, even the best of mortals can suffer the devastating consequences of “forgotten backseat baby” syndrome under the right conditions. That’s why I advocate implementation of safety nets/ plans for ALL child transport activities to verify arrival and/ or absence in a timely manner…..EVEN if you are still in denial that you are capable of forgetting your precious backseat cargo, consider a child transport safety plan an “insurance policy” to make sure you prove me wrong.

I lost my daughter, Sophia Rayne “Ray Ray” Cavaliero, to vehicular #heatstroke on Wednesday afternoon, May 25, 2011. That morning, our entire family overslept. Speaking in retrospect (after observing my 20 month old twins during the same phase of their lives), I think we overslept because it was the first time that Ray Ray finally slept through the night. We always called her our little alarm clock, because without fail she would awaken to nurse at 5:00 am, then sweetly drift back to sleep until about 7:30 am. Then we usually played with her for an hour or so before her daddy took her to daycare around 9:00 am. Ray Ray’s behavior was so predictable that I no longer set an alarm clock to awaken. That morning began with me awakening to my sweet child giving me precious kisses all over my face, followed by a glance at the clock. As I saw the time of 9:43 am, chaos ensued in my home. We had all overslept! Brett rushed to get dressed for work; I rushed to get Ray Ray fed and dressed for daycare. The entire family then hurried to daddy’s truck (I was still in PJs).

The defining event that led to Ray Ray’s death due to vehicular heatstroke was something very simple: ONE WRONG TURN. My husband usually made a LEFT turn at the bottom of a major hill near our home to drop our child off at daycare (located less than 10 minutes from our home). After dropping her off, he would circle back onto the same major highway and head to his office, less than 15 minutes from our home. That morning for unknown reasons he made a RIGHT turn at that critical intersection. As Ray Ray sat rear-facing and quietly in the backseat, he had no clue along his work route that she was still in the truck….he couldn’t see her; he couldn’t hear her. WHY did he make this wrong turn? We have asked this question daily for almost three years and still have no answer. What we know (through the criminal investigation) did not contribute to the wrong turn was his phone—records show that he wasn’t talking, emailing, or texting…..Could you ever imagine that ONE WRONG TURN, as I am sure you have probably made a few times in your life as well, could have such devastating consequences???? We couldn’t either….We still can’t; but this is our reality, like a nightmare from which we cannot awaken….cannot awaken because sadly it is not a dream.

The story I have just told to you replicates the story of more than one hundred families since 1998, as forgotten childcare drop-off is the leading source of child hot car death (aka child vehicular heatstroke or hyperthermia). Another resounding theme in nearly every “forgotten backseat baby” syndrome tale resulting in child hot car death is a change in routine on the day of the tragedy. For us, that change in routine was oversleeping, with a resultant chaotic start to our day. For other families, that change in routine was commonly an alternate person dropping the child off at daycare (one not accustomed to doing so). Other common changes in routine that we have seen in these tragedies include changes in school routine–either at the start of summer when grade school has just ended or in August at back to school time, ESPECIALLY where there are multiple siblings in the family and one starts kindergarten and the younger still needs to be dropped off at daycare.

I have shared my story with you today to commemorate the upcoming National Heat Awareness Day (designated by the National Weather Service/ NOAA) this Friday, May 23, 2014. The rate of child vehicular heatstroke tragedies begins to rise exponentially around this date, peaking in August (aka “back to school” time—remember that change in routine risk factor I alluded to earlier???). This year for the first time, numerous national child safety advocates, including the staff at Pediatric Safety, will join forces to commemorate and co-promote this day. We will be posting hourly child vehicular heatstroke facts and prevention tips on social media outlets to raise public awareness of this often unrecognized danger to child passenger safety, focusing on “forgotten backseat baby” syndrome, which is every parent’s unimaginable risk and the leading cause of child hot car deaths. Please join us and help spread vital information to PREVENT child vehicular heatstroke by sharing our social media posts and encouraging your friends and family to do the same. We will be using the tag “#heatstroke” on all of our posts and encourage you to do the same.

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Editor’s Note: We are just at the beginning of summer and 5 children have already died this year. Please reach out to everyone you know, to everyone who follows you on Twitter or Facebook or any other social media you have access to – and help us raise awareness of this terrible tragedy.

All it will take is a minute to post any one of these:

• Call 911 if you see a child alone in a car. ACT to prevent child vehicular #heatstroke
• Most kids who die of vehicular #heatstroke are accidentally forgotten in the backseat by a loving, responsible parent.#LOOKbeforeyouLOCK
• Forgotten childcare drop-off is the #1 source of child vehicular #heatstroke. #RayRaysPledge
• A child overheats 3-5 times faster than an adult. Never leave your child alone in a car. Prevent vehicular #heatstroke
• 30% of kids who died in a hot car gained access to an unlocked vehicle. Prevent vehicular #heatstroke
• The inside temperature of a car increases more than 40 degrees in less than an hour. Prevent vehicular #heatstroke
• Most kids who die in a hot car are less than 2 years of age. Prevent vehicular #heatstroke
• Most common factor associated with parents who forgot their kids in the backseat: change in routine. Prevent vehicular #heatstroke
• Is your child in daycare? Make an absence verification plan w ur provider aka #RayRaysPledge. Prevent vehicular #heatstroke
• Create reminders for all child transport activities eg: purse/ briefcase/ cellphone in backseat. Prevent vehicular #heatstroke

If we can save just one child’s life, all our efforts will have been worth it.

Our Child’s Allergy Symptoms: The Day We Forgot To Avoid Pollen

Last updated on March 2nd, 2018 at 02:16 pm

Managing a child’s health condition can be complex and challenging, even something as common as seasonal allergies. I’ve written before about the challenges we’ve had with Elliott’s spring allergy agonies, and it’s still an issue. For him to get through spring relatively unscathed requires a daily routine of allergy pills and eye drops, a short “allergy-season” haircut, and a host of preventative actions to keep the pollen away.

We fully appreciate the need for a multi-pronged attack to avoid the sneezing jags, swollen eyes and scary nosebleeds, but a recent experience – when we FAILED to follow pollen avoidance recommendations – really brought home just how important the basics of prevention can be in managing our child’s (or anyone’s) health.

Our Prevention “Failure”

It was a busy weekday evening, with flowering bushes and trees in full bloom, when Elliott – and coach “Dad” – had a Rugby double header for fifth and sixth graders. Given the travel time and need for post-game food-on-the-run, husband and son got home late, still with some homework to complete. This led to the fateful decision to skip a post-game shower (I know…yuck!).

Interestingly, this decision went almost unnoticed – like we hadn’t even thought about the implications for his allergies. Maybe we’d become so used to his hay fever that we didn’t realize how much benefit came from the preventative measures we (and he) had employed over the years. In fact, the next morning – when he woke up with a sore throat and congestion – our first reaction was to think of a cold and start strategizing who would stay home with a sick kid, even though these symptoms were combined with swollen eyes and a puffy face.

Thankfully my husband thought to send Elliott off for a shower first, just to see if this had any effect. And amazingly, a totally rejuvenated 11-year old emerged from the shower – his face and eyes were less puffy and he no longer had the congestion or irritated throat. Elliott declared himself cured and proceeded to get ready for school. What a lesson in the power of the basics of prevention! And to be safe we threw his bedding straight into the washer to remove any residual pollen.

While we kicked ourselves for not getting him into the shower the night before, there was an upside to our “failure.” Now Elliott is highly motivated to shower right after sports practices – and even gets permission from teachers at school to go wash his hands and face after outdoor activities like gym class. That kind of tween motivation was worth a minor lapse in child health management!

Keep Your Family Warm AND Safe: The Best Present You Can Give

Last updated on September 12th, 2015 at 10:46 pm

Its winter, those words do not strike fear into the hearts of many down here in sunny south Florida, but as for the rest of the country, I am sure it means a whole lot more. No matter where you are or how cold your area may become, staying warm in the winter is a must and doing it in the safest possible way should be a priority for you and your family. According to the N.F.P.A. (National Fire Protection Agency) heating equipment is a leading cause of home fire deaths. Almost half of home heating equipment fires are reported during the months of December, January, and February. Some simple steps can prevent most heating-related fires from happening.

• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
• Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
• Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.
• Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.
• Test smoke alarms monthly.
• Test Carbon Monoxide Monitors as well. Some heaters put off Carbon Monoxide.
• Have a Family Approved and Practiced Emergency escape and meet plan in case a Fire or other emergency should occur.

So as you can see, these are just a few tips to keep us all warm and safe through this winter season. Please feel free to add to this list and check your warming equipment every year before its put into use.

Thank you and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the beach here in Miami.

Walking on Thin Ice: Facts That Could Just Save Your Life

Last updated on August 29th, 2015 at 07:37 pm

In Chicago this morning the thermometer read a frigid -9F (-23C). We had our first real snow of the season last weekend and the ice rinks are almost ready for use. Winter is here!!!! But drowning knows no seasons. When we think of ice and snow, we don’t think of drowning, but the risk remains, particularly in those areas that were open water and are now ice or so snow-covered you don’t even know there is ice underneath, and possibly water underneath too thin ice.

Here is some ice trivia that may just save your life:

• New ice is usually stronger than old ice. Four inches of clear, newly-formed ice may support one person on foot, while a foot or more of old, partially-thawed ice may not.
• Ice seldom freezes uniformly. It may be a foot thick in one location and only an inch or two just a few feet away.
• Ice formed over flowing water and currents is often dangerous. This is especially true near streams, bridges and culverts. Also, the ice on outside river bends is usually weaker due to the undermining effects of the faster current.
• The insulating effect of snow slows down the freezing process. The extra weight also reduces how much weight the ice sheet can support.
• Ice near shore can be weaker than ice that is farther out.

Here are some general ice thickness guidelines, but always contact local authorities to verify conditions before you venture out:

For New, Clear Ice Only

2” or less – STAY OFF

4’’ – Ice fishing or other activities on foot

5” – Snowmobile or ATV

8” – 12” – Car or small pickup

12” – 15” – Medium truck

If someone does fall in, here are some tips from the State of Minnesota:

• Call 911 for help immediately if you or someone nearby has a cell phone.
• Do not run to the edge of the hole – there is a good chance you will also fall in, especially if it was a lighter child or a pet that broke through the ice.
• PREACH – shout to the victim to encourage them to fight to survive and reassure them that help is on the way.
• REACH ‑ If you can safely reach the victim from shore, extend an object such as a rope, ladder, or jumper cables to the victim. If the person starts to pull you in, release your grip on the object and start over.
• THROW ‑ Toss one end of a rope or something that will float to the victim. Have them tie the rope around themselves before they are too weakened by the cold to grasp it.
• ROW ‑ Find a light boat to push across the ice ahead of you. Push it to the edge of the hole, get into the boat and pull the victim in over the bow. It’s not a bad idea to attach some rope to the boat, so others can help pull you and the victim to safety.
• GO ‑ A non‑professional shouldn’t go out on the ice to perform a rescue unless all other basic rescue techniques have been ruled out.
• If the situation is too dangerous for you to perform the rescue, call 911 for help and keep reassuring the victim that help is on the way and urge them to fight to survive. Heroics by well‑meaning but untrained rescuers sometimes result in two deaths.

Frozen water can be every bit as much fun as liquid water if you know how to be safe – so grab your skates and get out there – after you check to make sure the ice is safe!

Thanks to my Canadian friend, Kerry Grier, for sharing some great ice facts with me for today’s post, they definitely know their ice up north!

Administering Pediatric Safety for Childhood Emergencies

Last updated on August 30th, 2015 at 05:07 pm

Editor’s Note: While we would love to take credit for all the terrific information included in this post …(and of course are incredibly flattered that our name appears in the title)…in truth, we had nothing to do with the creation of this wonderful infographic. All credit (along with our thanks) goes to Adams Safety Training.

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