BY JENNIFER SLOAN 2020-03-12 12:55:05
Climbing temperatures means summer is on the way—bringing with it summer fun and more water activities. On the flip side, more swimming also means an increased chance for drowning accidents. Knowing the facts, myths and safety precautions can save lives. Join Swim4Elise at their annual Run4Elise event on April 4th to support their positive wave of change.
A POSITIVE WAVE OF CHANGE
In the summer of 2016, 13-year-old Elise Cerami was pulled from the bottom of a Texas public pool. Unfortunately, this headline sounds all too familiar, but there’s something dramatically different about Elise’s story. Elise knew how to swim. In fact, she had been a competitive swimmer for over seven years and it was her teammates who pulled her out of the water. Any number of things could have caused Elise to get lightheaded or cramped— none of which would have killed her if she would have been noticed early in the water. Her teammates later calculated from their warmup set, that Elise had been under water for over six minutes. The lack of oxygen caused her brain and heart to stop functioning. Early recognition and early recovery with CPR would have made all the difference in her life. Ultimately, Elise fatally drowned eight feet from an empty lifeguard stand. Elise was the type of person that would want her life to positively influence others. For this reason, her family used their grief to start the Swim4Elise Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of water safety in Texas. “In order to speak on drowning prevention, I needed to better understand how it happens and how can it be prevented,” admits Elise’s mother, Lori Cerami. “As I became more aware, I felt compelled to share what I learned with others.” For every minute a person is without oxygen, they have a 10% less chance of being resuscitated. Couple this with, after you call 911, it takes Emergency Response on average eight minutes to get to you or your loved one. Yet, when bystander CPR is provided during these 8 critical minutes, the odds of a better outcome go up 45%. “By the time my daughter’s teammates pulled her body from the bottom of the pool and over the lane ropes to the side of the deck, it was almost 8 minutes before she was given a breath of oxygen,” says Lori. “At that point, Elise only had a 20% chance of surviving. Early recognition and response would have increased her survivability.”
WHO: Elise Cerami was a passionate, experienced, and physically fit competitive swimmer who drowned during warm-ups at a club practice in June 2016. In her honor, the Swim4Elise Foundation nonprofit was established to initiate “a positive wave of change” for USA Swimmers by increasing awareness of water safety. The Swim4Elise Foundation has accomplished amazing things in Elise’s honor. Since 2017 the Swim4Elise foundation has:
• Shared Elise’s story with thousands of lifeguards and emergency response personnel in the US
• Provided free water safety education to over 12,000 daycare children in North Texas
• Provided over $12,000 in scholarships to University of Texas Swim Camp
• Provided swimmers with over $23,000 for college
• Provided funds for over 50 swimmers and coaches to get lifeguard certified
• Helped the American Red Cross update training material for USA Swimming Coaches/Lifeguards
• Share meaningful awareness of water safety via layers of protection and bystander CPR
• Changed Texas Law allowing grieving families access to their child’s posthumous diploma
WHAT:& The Run4Elise is a 5K and 1-Mile fun run that benefits the Swim4Elise Foundation and the Elise Cerami Memorial Scholarship. This family-friendly community event honors the life of Elise Cerami by promoting water safety through swimming scholarships and community outreach education. This year, in honor of Elise’s high school graduation year, graduating participants are invited to walk or run in cap and gown. Be creative, show your school spirit and celebrate the Class of 2020!
WHEN The 4th Annual 2020 Run4Elise will be held on Saturday, April 4. The one mile fun run begins at 8:30am and the 5K begins at 9am.
WHERE: Gateway Church, 700 Blessed Way, Southlake 76092
WHY: The Run4Elise is designed for the whole family. There will be refreshments, music, sponsor tables, free event photos and water safety education. “There is no greater pain than grieving the loss of your child,” says Elise’s mom, Lori Cerami. “This day to day pain leaves me wanting better outcomes for other families in our community. Please join us in raising awareness of water safety and bystander CPR.”
HOW: Registration is $30 online in advance and $35 on race day. To register, please visit swim4elise.com.
Unintentional Drowning
GET THE FACTS
Drowning—it’s quick and silent and not at all like it’s depicted
in the movies. According to the CDC, every day, about 10
people die from unintentional drowning. Drowning ranks fifth
among the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the
United States. How big is the problem?
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• From 2005-2014, there were an average of 3,536 fatal
unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually
in the United States — about 10 deaths per day. An
additional 332 people died each year from drowning
in boating-related incidents.
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• About one in five people who die from drowning
are children 14 and younger. For every child who dies
from drowning, another five receive emergency
department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.
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• More than 50% of drowning victims treated in
emergency departments require hospitalization or transfer
for further care (compared with a hospitalization rate of about
6% for all unintentional injuries). These nonfatal drowning
injuries can cause severe brain damage that may result in
long-term disabilities such as memory problems, learning
disabilities and permanent loss of basic functioning.
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For more misconceptions and their factual realities, please
download the complete SafeKids report from safekids.org.
MYTH OR FACT: I'll hear it if a child is in danger of drowning. ——————————————————————————— ——————————————————————————— REALITY: Drowning is silent. There can be very little splashing, waving or screaming. ——————————————————————————— MYTH OR FACT: I can step away for a few minutes while my child swim. ——————————————————————————— ——————————————————————————— REALITY: Drowning is quick. Once a child begins to struggle, you may have less than a minute to react. ——————————————————————————— MYTH OR FACT: If a lifeguard is on duty, I don't have to watch my child closely. ——————————————————————————— ——————————————————————————— REALITY: Watching your child in the water is your responsibility. A lifeguard’s job is the enforce rules, scan, rescue, resuscitate. ——————————————————————————— MYTH OR FACT: My child won't drown because he knows how to swim well. ——————————————————————————— ——————————————————————————— REALITY: Swim lessons are essential, but skill level varies. A review of children who drowned in a pool revealed that 47% of 10-17 year olds reportedly knew how to swim. ——————————————————————————
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Run4Elise
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