By Eline WigginsAs families and friends come together to celebrate Independence Day, it's important to keep safety in mind. According to experts at Cook Children's, drowning is the primary threat to children during this holiday. Drowning patients are...
By Heather DugeAs families start their summer traveling, water safety vigilance is key at all ages and no matter where your family might be. Swimming pools, lakes and beaches all pose risks but with the right preparation, you can avoid tragic outcome...
Story by Ashley Antle. Video by Tom Riehm.Kids everywhere are counting down the days until they can take their first leap into the water for summer swim season, which has parents on the hunt for the perfect swimsuit. But before you purchase those cut...
The Center for Community Health led by Cook Children's joins many community events for parents and families to share safety and parenting information. The Center for Community Health provides education and resources to reduce injuries and share great...
By Heather DugeCook Children’s has treated nine drownings so far this year, one of which was fatal. As the weather warms up, parents and caregivers should take time to review how to keep their young children safe around water. With the recent news of...
By Ashley AntleAs summer draws to a close, one mother, Dana Gage, is sharing her journey to making her son’s tragic drowning death matter.On Aug. 31, 2012, Dana's son, Connor, left for a friend’s birthday party at a rented lakehouse. Little did eithe...
By Ashley AntleTen years ago this week, Connor Gage blew his mother a kiss as he left for a friend’s birthday party at a rented lakehouse. Little did either of them know, it would be the last kiss he’d ever give her and the last time Dana Gage would ...
This summer, there were fewer drownings treated compared to 2021. As Labor Day festivities get underway this weekend, keep in mind to stay vigilant and Lifeguard Your Child.From May to August, there were 47 drownings treated at Cook Children’s Health...
By Emma PignatoParents and caregivers should ensure that a home swimming pool has an effective swim safety plan and extra layers of protection. Most drownings seen at Cook Children’s happen in a swimming pool during the least expected moments. Drowni...
By Ashley AntleThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning parents, caregivers and health professionals about the dangers of inflatable neck floats after the death of one baby and the hospitalization of another. The flotation devices are especi...
By Emma PignatoWhile you’re having fun by the pool this summer, ensure your pool safety plan includes a Water Watcher: an adult who is designated to watch children around the pool at all times. Drowning is silent, so it’s vital to designate a Water W...
By Ashley AntleIt’s never too early to teach children to be safe around water. After all, if a baby can crawl, they can make their way to a pool or open body of water. Any number of things can lure them there — a floating toy or sheer curiosity as th...
By Ashley AntleViolet Gomez admits she didn’t know much about water safety and drowning prevention when she had her first child nine years ago. It wasn’t until after the birth of her second child that she began to take the dangers of water seriously,...
By Eline de Bruijn and Linda DiazThe Fourth of July is a time for celebration and getting together with family and friends. Cook Children’s experts are sharing safety tips and information to remember as people gather this weekend. Keep in mind that d...
Fifteen swimsuits and five rubber duckies hang on a clothesline in front of Cook Children’s Medical Center today. They represent the more than 20 children who have been treated for drowning injuries at the hospital since the beginning of 2022. Unfort...
By Ashley AntleDrowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of accidental death in kids ages 1 to 14. It’s also 100% preventable.Keeping kids safe in and around water is all about layers of pr...
By Jean YaegerIf your child or teen recently hit a growth spurt, last summer’s life jacket might not fit now.So before your family heads to the lake, make sure everyone has a life jacket that fits properly, based on the weight of the person wearing i...
Cook Children's has treated 17 drownings so far in 2022 through April 13, three of which were fatal.This is an alarming increase compared to January through May 1 in 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017, according to Cook Children's data.This year, 11 dro...
Within a three-day span this week, Cook Children's medical staff treated three patients for drowning-related accidents with ages ranging from 15 months to 2 years old. One was fatal. The drownings were unrelated and all took place at home pools after...
Last year’s Memorial Day weekend was a tragic one at Cook Children’s.
Over the four-day holiday weekend in 2018, nine children were admitted to the medical center for drowning. Two of those children died. Last year marked the first time drowning f...
The month of March proved something sadly true – a child can drown at any time of the year and in any place where there is water.
Last week, Cook Children’s medical staff treated four children for drowning-related accidents with ages ranging from ...
When the summer began, Ben Olsson, D.O., a pediatric intensive care unit physician at Cook Children's, hosted a press conference at the medical center, asking parents to "Lifeguard Your Child" and warning them about the dangers of drowning.
As on...
Only two weeks into the month of May and one child has died from drowning, while five others were seen at Cook Children's for near drownings.
The ages of the children ranged from 1 year to 9 years old. The drownings all occurred in pools.
“Unfo...
Dry drowning is back in the news after a Florida mom shared her 4-year-old daughter's story on social media.
These stories can be scary for parents, but how much are your kids really at risk?
Few of the emergency and pediatric intensive care un...
On June 20, 2016, 15 minutes into her warm-up for swim practice, teammates found Elise Cerami unresponsive at the bottom of a pool.
A little over a year since her death, one of Elise’s swim coaches, Tracey Anne Boyd, 49, has been indicted on a cha...
Who is watching your children in the pool? More importantly, who is not watching them drown? Last year, Cook Children’s staff saw eight drowning deaths and another 61 children treated for near-drownings. The numbers have to go down and this month Co...