PPCD Members: Louisiana
I have two teenage sons. My oldest son was 2.5 years old when he had a non-fatal drowning in a swimming pool surrounded by parents, children, a lifeguard and myself. I rescued him and realized at that moment how little I knew about drowning. A couple years later teaching drowning prevention skills became my vocation as I completed training to become a Certified Infant Swimming Resource Instructor. I am honored to continue to educate the very young and not so young about water safety and drowning prevention as an ambassador for Parents Preventing Childhood Drowning. Find me at www.ISRBatonRouge.com
My name is Laura Messer. I am a current resident of Independence, Louisiana and I am married to my wonderful husband, Stewart Messer. We have two beautiful daughters, Charleigh and Presley, and an amazing son named Cypress.
As Psalm 127:3 states," Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him," and I learned very early on as a mother that this can quickly be taken away from a parent in the matter of minutes. In the summer of 2011 my husband and I received one of the worst and terrifying phone calls a parent could ever receive. My two daughters, at the age of three and two, were found and pulled out from a pool during their summer vacation. My oldest daughter was floating unconscious where she had been pulled out and CPR was administered immediately. While my youngest daughter, Presley, was pulled out unharmed, Charleigh was rushed by ambulance to the hospital to spend an overnight stay in the Intensive Care Unit at Children's Hospital. This experience not only scared us but, it was also what led me to my desire to teach parents and children about water safety. Follow me out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/isrhammond
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Mazie's Mission is bring awareness, educate and promote water safety so that no family has to experience the loss of a child due to drowning. We are a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that advocates for all children who have been injured from or lost their lives too soon from drowning. Our goal is to provide awareness by educating the community on water safety, to collaborate with local partners to prevent infant and child drowning and ensure all children have access to swim lessons. Drowning is silent but we will not be.