A mother is sharing a harrowing experience to highlight a potential pool danger that many may overlook. She hopes to prevent other families from facing a similar traumatic situation—or worse.
During a family vacation in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote, over the Easter holiday, Sarah Thompson’s 6-year-old daughter, Mia, nearly drowned—not due to her swimming abilities, but because of a concealed hazard. In a widely shared Facebook post, Thompson recounts how her daughter was enjoying the pool when her hair became entangled in the filter of a waterfall feature. Trapped underwater for over two minutes, Mia was unable to surface.
“Thanks to the courage of some amazing individuals, our little girl’s life was saved that day. Her hair was pulled and pulled before it was finally freed. Mia was unconscious and required CPR right there at the poolside,” Thompson shares.
However, the family’s ordeal didn’t end there. Mia was swiftly taken to the hospital, where she underwent x-rays and tests and was kept overnight for monitoring. “Her oxygen levels were low, and there was significant fluid in her right lung,” Thompson explains.
While the family is grateful that Mia was well enough to return home the next day, they are acutely aware of the potential for a different outcome. “That day was the worst of our lives. We are still processing everything, but we feel incredibly fortunate to still have our brave little girl,” Thompson reflects.
As they cope with their experience, the Thompson family is also advocating for greater awareness of this serious hazard in swimming environments. “We want to inform as many people as possible about the dangers present in swimming pools because we feel so strongly about this issue.”
Elizabeth Harrison, a campaign representative for Pool Safely, a government initiative aimed at promoting water safety, emphasizes the importance of educating children to stay away from drains, suction outlets, and filters in pools and spas. “It’s critical for parents and guardians to ensure children do not enter pools or spas with loose, broken, or missing drain covers,” she notes.
Despite the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, enacted in 2008, which requires public pools to have safer drain covers, this law does not extend to private residential pools. Harrison points out that while it’s advisable for homeowners with pools to install these covers, there were still 17 reported cases of entrapment from 2012 to 2016, most of which involved children.
This is why the Thompson family is determined to spread the word about these dangers. “We don’t want any other parent or family member to experience what we went through. We will never fully recover from that day, but if our story can raise awareness and potentially save a life, we will consider that a success.”
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Summary:
A mother shares her traumatic experience of her daughter nearly drowning due to hair entanglement in a pool filter, urging awareness of swimming pool hazards. The Thompson family emphasizes the need for better safety measures and education regarding pool dangers to prevent similar incidents.