Heartbroken mother’s stern warning to all parents after two of her children, aged 11 and 14, drowned in Philly pool over holiday weekend

A Philadelphia mother’s two children were taken off life support Sunday after they tragically drowned in a swimming pool over Memorial Day weekend.

As Brittney McWhite prepares to say goodbye to her 11-year-old London Marie and her 14-year-old Wadale this week opened up about the horrific series of events that led to their untimely deaths.

“They weren’t there more than three or four minutes,” McWhite said FOX 29 Philadelphia. “They shouted their names… and when they jumped in, they were at the bottom of the pool.

The family was at a holiday party in Gloucester, a New Jersey suburb outside Philadelphia, where Londoners Marie and Wadale decided to play a game of Marco Polo.

McWhite, who has four other children, said London Marie and Wadale knew how to swim, so she left them unattended while she helped prepare food inside.

Wadale, second from left in photo, and London Marie were both taken off life support on Sunday after drowning in a swimming pool over Memorial Day weekend

Brittney McWhite, who has four other children, said she knows her children are ‘at peace, it’s just very devastating’

When she came out, she didn’t see her two children when she looked around.

That’s when she discovered the siblings were in trouble.

Although they were quickly recovered from the bottom of the pool, the damage was simply too extensive.

As summer begins, she warned fellow parents who might take their children to cool off in a pool, saying these types of drownings can happen after being in the water for just “a minute.”

‘Always have a pair of eyes. Prevent your children from playing games. Make sure the pool is safe,” she said.

‘If it doesn’t look good, don’t do it. Because once you lose your child, it’s hard. It’s really hard to digest.’

Over the past week, the children were placed on breathing support machines to keep them alive. On Sunday it became clear to McWhite and the children’s father that nothing would change

McWhite issued a stern warning to other parents thinking about taking their kids to a pool to cool off in the summer: “Always have a pair of eyes… If it doesn’t look right, don’t do it.” Because once you lose your child, it’s hard.”

Over the past week, the children were placed on breathing support machines to keep them alive. On Sunday it became clear to McWhite and the children’s father that nothing would change.

“Keeping my child hooked to a machine for the rest of his life is not ideally what any parent would want for their children, so today me and my father decided to end life support,” McWhite said.

London Marie would have turned 12 next week, while Wadale would have completed eighth grade.

McWhite said the two were complete opposites and yet couldn’t live without each other.

“I know they’re at peace, it’s just very devastating,” McWhite said. ‘Not to lose one child, but two. I find that a bigger challenge, because you can’t bear that, but you have to keep going.’

To prevent drownings, the CDC recommends a number of things, including fencing pools, supervising children nearby and learning CPR in case the worst happens.