I lost my boy in a horrible swimming accident, I just looked away
WITH the summer holidays in full swing, many families are looking forward to carefree days by the pool, whether at the local pool or on holiday.
But one mother is urging parents to beware of the dangers of swimming pools after she tragically lost her toddler son.
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Jenny and Rob Burns of Dallas, Texas, lost their 14-month-old son Beau after he fell into the family pool in June 2022.
Now they are trying to warn other parents about pool safety, to prevent another family from being hit by such a tragedy.
“Families need to know that it only takes seconds for a tragedy to happen and people need to be extra vigilant with their children,” said Jenny, 37.
It was a day like any other and the family had just finished eating when they realized Beau was gone.
“I was clearing the dishes, my husband Rob went upstairs to take a shower and our daughters Emma and Beau were playing together,” Jenny recalls.
“A few seconds later I turned around and Beau was gone.
“I ran around looking for him but I couldn’t see him. I shouted to Rob that I couldn’t find Beau, he came running down and we both ran out into the garden.
“There in our pool was something that will be etched in my memory forever.
“It was Beau who was floating face down in our family pool. In those few seconds he had managed to get out the door and fall into the pool.”
The couple pulled Beau from the water. Jenny called 911 while Rob, a lifeguard, performed CPR on Beau.
“I kept praying to God that he wouldn’t die,” Jenny said.
Rob had regained a weak heartbeat and the ambulance was there within ten minutes.
‘They took him straight to the hospital and Rob and I followed him in our car. I couldn’t stop being sick from the sheer fear of losing him.
“When we got there, Beau was on a ventilator and for a moment I felt some hope. That was a good sign.”
As Jenny sat at his bedside praying, another mother sat there, whose daughter was also unresponsive in the next room.
“I sat there, paralyzed with grief,” Jenny said.
“But the woman said to me, ‘Be Beau’s mother. You are a strong person. Pray and something good will come of it.’
“And her words changed something in me. I stood up and started helping the nurses when they needed things, and in between I sat there praying hard.
“We sat by his bedside for four days. And on the fifth day they told us that Beau’s brain activity was deteriorating.
“He wouldn’t make it.
“Our brave and cheerful toddler who amazed us all when he started walking at 11 months old, loved exploring and clapped at everyone.
“It was unbearable.”
Advice on swimming safety
Experts have revealed some of their best advice for both adults and kids hitting the water this summer:
How do you stay safe on the beach?
Gareth Morrison, RNLI’s head of water safety, said: “If you are swept out to sea by a current, try to relax and stay afloat until you are free of the current. You can then swim to safety.
“If you see someone else in danger, alert a lifeguard or call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.”
How to stay safe in the pool?
Tiny Hearts Educationsaid retired paramedic and CEO Nikki Jurcutz: “Always dress your little one in bright or contrasting colors so he or she can be easily found in an emergency.
“It only takes 20 seconds to drown, little tips like these can save a life”.
An Auqabliss spokesperson added: “Swimming toys such as noodles, diving rings, swimming rings and beach balls can be dangerous if left in the pool.
“Kids could try to grab these off the edge of the pool and fall in.”
How do you stay safe in a water park?
Ali Beckman, Peeing ducks The technical director said: “Never let a child go down the slide alone. Not only do they go into the slide area on their own, but they also have to get out and wait for an adult.
“Stay away from wave pools until your child is absolutely confident that the water is flowing over his face and he can stand on his own feet.
“Water parks are often very busy and it is easy to lose sight of a child in a split second.”
As the couple faced the unthinkable, they were asked by the medical team to make an impossible decision.
“The organ donation team approached us and asked if we would be willing to donate his organs,” Jenny recalls.
“I couldn’t bear the thought of them taking his precious organs. But Rob was adamant that we had to do it.
“As a lifeguard, he knew how precious organ donation was. And when I thought about it again, I knew he was right.
“We hoped that something good would come from this unspeakable tragedy.
“So we agreed that Beau’s organs could be used.
“Because we decided to donate, we couldn’t hold him. His ventilator was turned off and his precious life was gone.
“We had to say goodbye before he was taken to the operating room. But we knew it was the right thing to do.
“All the nurses lined up to give Beau a lap of honor into the operating room as we prepared to say goodbye to our boy.”
The couple knew that Beau’s liver, heart and kidneys had been used to save three lives. A year later, through the hospital’s transplant team, they wrote a letter to each of them.
“I wanted to say how much I hope Beau’s gift changed their lives,” Jenny said.
“I was pregnant again with our son Jack, and it would have meant so much to us to know that they were doing well and happy.
“We didn’t know if we would hear anything back, but on the day Jack was born last October, we got a call from the hospital.
“They told us that the mother of the little boy who received Beau’s heart, named Eli, wanted to meet us. It was an amazing moment.”
The hospital put the couple in touch with Eli’s mother April, who explained that Eli was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, meaning only half of his heart was working properly.
He was only four months old when the couple lost Beau. He had been in and out of the hospital his entire life.
Our bubbly toddler wouldn’t make it
Jenny Brandt
Jenny explained: “She told us she was living from day to day, not knowing whether her son would live or die.
“It was so emotional to hear all of this. And to know that Beau’s gift had now given Eli a chance at a normal life.”
Jenny and Rob met April and Eli the following month at the transplant center.
“From the moment April walked into the room, I felt a connection with her,” Jenny said.
“And it was an overwhelming sense of relief that this mother no longer had to worry about her son’s death.
“For the first time I could really see how much Beau’s life had changed someone else’s life, and it all took on so much meaning.
“Eli was a bundle of energy and when I hugged him it was such an amazing moment.
“We listened to Beau’s heartbeat deep in his chest, and that was a very healing moment for both Rob and me.
“And Eli kept clapping his hands, just like Beau used to do. It was creepy.
“Now April and I text all the time. We saw each other at Christmas and we plan to see each other again as soon as possible.”
Eli wasn’t the only child Beau helped.
“I also met Ginamarie, Lionel’s mother, who received Beau’s liver,” Jenny said.
“We also clicked right away and talk all the time. I feel like April and Eli, and Ginamarie and Lionel are all part of our family now.
“I haven’t heard from the 40-year-old woman who had Beau’s kidneys, but I want her to know that it’s very healing for me to hear how the recipients are doing, and I hope she’ll get in touch with me.
“I’m trying to raise as much awareness as I can about pool safety. I’m also working with our local transplant alliance to raise awareness about organ donation, and I’m helping with counseling.
“I want people to know that organ donation helps with the healing process in your darkest moments.
“It is a comfort to know that something special has emerged from such a tragedy.”
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