Fox26 – Houston
Student’s death prompts teacher to create swim training non-profit.
My toddler drowned. Here’s my warning about puddle jumpers
Once babies can sit up and have good head and neck control, they can start learning survival swim basics, says Christi Brown, executive director of The Judah Brown Project, a water safety advocacy organization she started after the death of her son, Judah. “Babies around 6 or 7 months old can learn to float on their backs if they were ever to fall into the water alone. We believe they should get these skills before they learn to crawl. If they can crawl, they can drown.”
Christi Brown, a Texas mother whose 3-year-old son drowned in 2016, says her group, the Judah Brown Project, has heard from numerous families who believe their children’s faithful use of flotation vests predisposed them to drowning.
Para estos padres, si hubieran sabido de clases de supervivencia, quizás su pequeño Judah aun seguiría con ellos. Es por eso que abrieron la fundación Judah Brown Project para que ningún otro padre tenga que pasar por lo que ellos sufrieron. Allí, ofrecen becas para que familias con necesidades económicas puedan tomar clases que les salven la vida.
In fact, Christi Brown, a mother who lost her 3-year-old son, Judah, in a drowning accident, considers the puddle jumper to be a major factor in his death — and possibly a factor in any number of the accidental drownings that are the leading cause of death in 1- to 4-year-olds, more than any age group.
One of the best things you can do to prevent drownings is to designate a water watcher. Brown says a water watcher is someone who will not be distracted by a phone or anything else. Their job is to watch the water at all times. She recommends rotating the job to other adults every 15 minutes.
"It only takes 30 seconds for a child to drown,” said Christi Brown with the Judah Brown Project. Brown lost her youngest son, Judah, nearly four years ago and has since established an advocacy and educational organization in his name.
Last year, ABC13's Jeff Ehling met volunteers with a local non-profit called the Judah Brown Project, which is aimed at providing water safety information and drowning prevention after the founder's son drowned in 2016.
Annette Courtney, founder of the nonprofit Judah Brown Project, said that while it's not uncommon for children to die by drowning, it is unusual for children to die in clusters so close together. "For children to die together like this, it's unusual," Courtney said.
Webmaster - Wendell Gragg (webmaster@judahbrownproject.org)
