One Way Every Day: May 21 (Day 82) A Father's Promise

As the father of 2 children, today's post had me very emotional. I so admire this family for their strength and fortitude to carry on and make it their mission to take their tragedy and use it to help others! Scott, Katey and family ... you inspire me!

A father's promise is the mission behind Abbey's Hope Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy organization launched by Scott and his wife, Katey, in memory of Abbey, who died in March 2008. The accident in the kiddie pool at the Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park that disemboweled Abbey left her in need of a triple organ transplant. She received a new liver, small bowel and pancreas in January 2008 but developed a rare transplant-related cancer that eventually caused her death.

Scott Taylor made a pledge to his daughter that he intends to keep. After 6-year old Abbey, was critically injured in a pool drain accident in June 2007, she asked her dad to promise that "what happened to her would never happen to another child."

"Those were Abbey's words," Scott said. "I told her I would do everything I could to let people know how to keep their kids safe. I promised I would talk to as many people as I could." In the hospital, we made a promise to Abbey—a promise to make sure this kind of injury never happens again. And so, with that goal in mind, we created this Foundation. We want to prevent the preventable and keep kids safe. For her.

Our Mission:

-Promote awareness of and education related to child safety issues, including educating pool owners, operators, inspectors, and the general public about the dangers of pool entrapment, evisceration and drowning and the need for physical inspections of pool equipment.

-Work with the pool and spa industry to improve the design of their products, packaging and warning labels, and assist in the development of product safety standards related to such products.

-Identify and provide support and assistance to organizations and programs that (i) provide support, resources, opportunities and outreach programs to children and families coping with serious childhood injuries or disease, and/or (ii) focus on improving the overall health, education and well-being of children by promoting healthy lifestyles, family resiliency, the arts, education, and social and civic awareness.

-Provide education related to and increase awareness of the overwhelming need for organ donation and to promote the necessity for people to become organ donors. (See our previous post on Organ donation.)

Summer will soon be upon us - Let's honor this beautiful life by learning all we can about water safety and sharing what we learn with others. Check out the resource page for links and tips on water and pool safety and other helpful information.

Did You Know?

In children ages 1 to 14, drowning is the second-leading cause of accidental death?

Every year, approximately 760 children (14 and under) die as a result of accidental drowning. And more than 60% of those children are under age 5.

Some Facts:
-Drowning occurs quickly and silently.
-A child can drown in seconds. And they cannot cry out for help.
-They lose consciousness within two minutes under water. Permanent brain damage occurs after four to six minutes.
-For every child who drowns, two are hospitalized for near-drowning.
-Up to 20% of survivors suffer permanent brain damage.
-And 15% of those children hospitalized for near-drowning die in the hospital.
-Each year in the U.S., over 200 children under age 5 drown in home swimming pools.

Most children who drown in these swimming pools were:

-last seen inside the home, or had been out of sight for less than five minutes.

-in the care of one or both parents at the time of the drowning.

The suction of a pool or spa drain can trap people underwater. The suction force is too strong for anyone to free themselves.Even several onlookers may not be able to lift a child off a drain. To break that suction would be like lifting more than 500 pounds.