Summer is nearly here, and for those of us who don’t live walking distance from the beach, the neighborhood pool will likely be the go-to hang out once school is out.
But after a scary encounter over an Easter vacation, Alex Morgan has a warning for parents whose kids will soon be turning into prune-fingered guppies.
The Morgan family had only three days left of their vacation in Lanzarote—one of the Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa—when 6-year-old Darcey Morgan had a near-death encounter with the hotel swimming pool.
According to a Facebook post shared by Alex, Darcey was swimming underwater when her hair got sucked into the filter that operates the pool’s waterfall.
Alex Morgan
“Her hair was stuck and she was unable to get up to the surface. She was kept under the water for over 2 minutes.”
Gasping for air, Darcey was completely helpless.
“Some incredibly brave people saved our little girl’s life that day. Her hair was pulled and pulled before it was ripped.”
Alex says her daughter was removed from the pool unconscious and had to be given CPR poolside. Emergency response crews took her by ambulance to a local hospital where her oxygen levels were low, and her right lung was filled with water. Darcey was released from the hospital the following day.
Alex Morgan
In total, Darcey lost four large clumps of her hair, but Alex says they’re grateful that’s all she lost, as hair will grow back.
Alex Morgan
“It could have been a completely different ending to our holiday. This was the worst day of our lives. We are still suffering to come to terms with it all now but also feel incredibly lucky to still have our beautiful, brave little girl.”
Sadly, this was not a one-time occurrence. The concerned mother shared that just two days before this incident with Darcey, that same pool filter sucked in a 9-year-old boy’s swimming trunks as he swam past, putting him in similar danger.
Alex Morgan
Alex wrote that the scare was something she and her husband never want another family to experience, and they hope to spread as much awareness as possible about the unseen dangers of swimming pools.
“Myself and Gareth don’t want any other parents/ family members to go through what we experienced that day. We will never get over what happened but if this post can raise some awareness, save someone’s life, then we will be happy.”
Alex’s powerful post urging parents to educate themselves on pool safety has now been shared over 130,000 times in the last two days.
Summer vacation is all about having fun, and taking a break from the stress of school and work. Be aware of the swimming pool risks facing your kiddos before sending them in to cool off.
