A mother’s heartbreak… It was supposed to be a fun Thanksgiving weekend trip that started on Thursday November 28th at my father’s house in Orlando. We ate lots of turkey and stuffing then stayed the night at a hotel on International Drive. We woke up and had a big breakfast at Denny’s with my dad and step mom. We were going to go play some mini golf but got stuck in serious traffic on I-drive so we decided to skip it. We then headed over to New Smyrna Beach where Roarke’s Sister Robin and her husband Jim live to finish off our Thanksgiving weekend. We woke up Saturday morning November 30th and had a great day. Robin and Jim went and got their beautiful Christmas tree and we just played with all of the kids. Then just after 6 pm the last words ANY parent ever wants to hear “where is Jake?” I was in the other room nursing our precious little daughter Julia who was 12 weeks old at the time when I heard those words that have forever changed my life. Jake slipped out the back door in the pitch dark and fell off the dock into the intracoastal. There was so much screaming going on because we knew he was in there but it was so dark we couldn’t see anything. I have never felt so helpless in my entire life knowing that my baby needed me and I couldn’t save him. Roarke and Jim were going up and down the docks on the jet ski until finally Jim found Jake and the ambulance quickly took Jake to the hospital but they were not able to revive him. Roarke and I were in the room with him while they tried so hard to bring him back to us. I still can remember EVERY second so clearly and screaming for my baby to come back all the well knowing that he was gone and that he had gone straight to Heaven. I hope that no parent EVER has to go through what Roarke and I have gone through and that is why we are so passionate about drowning prevention and also helping other families who have either lost a child or have a child that has had a near drowning and is in hospital care. I wanted to share our story because I know a lot of you only know that Jake drowned but didn’t know how and where. Roarke and I do not own a pool and do not live on the water so I wasn’t in a real hurry with the swim lessons although he did take lessons over the summer. He wasn’t really taking to it and I was just going to try again next year when he was a little older and more cooperative. Our situation is different than most drowning cases because it was not a pool so whether his life would have been spared if he had done ISR lessons I will never know and that still makes me so sad everyday. I beg of you if you have a child that does not know how to self-rescue and is over 6 months old please please please get them in lessons. Also when you are on vacation in a different environment please be aware of your surroundings at ALL times because it only takes a few seconds for them to sneak away. We have gone to Robin and Jim’s home countless times with Jake and although I was always nervous of the water and made him wear a life jacket while on the dock, I NEVER imagined he would go out there by himself especially at night. Thank you everyone for all of your prayers, love and support during this time. Please share this story with as many people as you can because if it saves just ONE life then I will know this is my purpose in life and why God chose me to carry out this mission and save other babies. Love you all! Keri Donations for the Live Like Jake Foundation can be made at livelikejake or checks can be sent to: Live Like Jake 2264 S Wallen Drive, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410. Proceeds go to other families who have lost a loved one or have a child that is in critical care.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 19:06:02 +0000
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