Water wise

A near fatal accident in 2016 made you realise there is a dire need to educate people about water safety in and around water bodies. Could you tell us about your experience?

In June 2016, my daughter Aoife nearly drowned in a friend’s pool while on a play date with a few other children. I was also there along with another mother and the kids’ nannies, but nothing could have prepared us for what happened.

All our children were given swimming lessons from an early age. Being able to swim and having an awareness of water safety is a vital skill. My daughters were diving underwater and swimming around my legs. I took my eyes off them for a few seconds to catch my son as he came off a slide, but when I turned around again to do a headcount, one child was missing.

None of us adults had realised that the pool had a new vacuum cleaning system at the bottom of the pool, flush with the wall that hadn’t been installed correctly. Aoife, however, had noticed it and being a curious child, she found a leaf and put it near the vacuum to watch it being sucked in. Unfortunately, the suction was so strong that her arm got pulled in up to her elbow and she was unable to free herself.

That must have been terrifying. What did you do next?

We saw her lying motionless at the bottom of the pool. She had stopped breathing and had suffered cardiac arrest. In our panic, we didn’t even think of simple things like turning off the switch for the cleaning system. When we finally got her arm free, more than 2 minutes had passed and she’d lost consciousness. I immediately began CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and managed to revive her. Aoife spent three days in the ICU and the doctors said it was a miracle that she survived.

What did you do after the accident?

I know in my gut that Aoife was saved for a reason. And I wanted to prevent more accidents and senseless deaths caused by drowning. It’s not just pools and larger bodies of water that can be hazardous. It can also happen indoors in bathtubs, Jacuzzis and spa areas. I began sharing my experience in online groups and spoke about it at a few events. But it took another three years to create Aoife’s Campaign, which is based on four principles: adult supervision, barriers, classes in CPR and swimming, and drains (ABCD). The campaign is also proudly supported by Baby Secure (@baby.secure.dxb), a leading pool fencing company in the UAE.

What prompted you to organise a workshop?

I’d had this idea for a while, but I was unwell for a period of time following the accident. And although I had spoken at schools and on the radio, I felt it wasn’t enough to increase awareness. But these things take time to develop. Even my water safety booklet, which is available at Spinneys, took five months to write.

How did the first workshop come about?

It all happened organically in 2021. My hairdresser was talking about Aoife’s Campaign in her salon and one of her clients overheard her. She asked if I’d be interested in speaking to a few families about water safety at her villa. I jumped at the chance. From there it took me several weeks to prepare the content for a 2½-hour workshop. The feedback I received was incredible and has really motivated me. I do believe the workshop will have a greater impact on people because I have a personal connection to the subject. In its present form it is aimed at children between 6-13 years of age. I would like to create one for adults as well. My aim is to educate children and their families so they can become water safety advocates.

Have you held any more workshops since then?

I’ll admit the pandemic has put a damper on my plans, but I’m hoping to gain momentum this year and conduct many more.