Druann Letter’s son, Weston, drowned in the family's swimming pool in 1998.
Druann was working inside her home, and her husband was in the garage fixing his car. For only a moment, they lost sight of their three-year-old son as he played nearby, next to the family's backyard swimming pool. ''You don't hear a child drown. They call it the silent death,'' says Letter.
Weston (or Wessie as his best friends called him) was an energetic little boy who loved fire trucks, ATC's, bugs, lizards, M&M's, Oreo cookies, chocolate milk, his twin sisters, and his friends and family. Each day, Weston's mommy, daddy, and twin sisters yearn to hear his sweet voice echo "I love you" and feel his warm, tender hugs.
Weston's father, a local firefighter, is trained in CPR and is experienced in responding to tragic calls. Druann is an elementary school educator and teaches childhood safety to her students. The Letters went to all lengths to protect their children and teach them safety measures. During the first two summers of Weston's young life, he was enrolled in swimming lessons and was aware of potential water dangers. "We were pretty cautious parents," says Letter. "We just didn't think enough that it could happen to us.''
Druann promised her son that his death would never be in vain. She founded Water Watchers, a program that teaches water safety to children and parents around the community. Through Phoenix Children's Hospital, and with the help of community volunteers, corporate sponsors, and various Valley of the Sun Fire Departments, Water Watchers reaches thousands of families each year, teaching them the ABC's of Water Safety.
Letter's advice to parents is to have more than one safety strategy. Don't rely solely on a pool fence, self-latching gate or motion sensor, she says, but teach children how to swim and to designate a ''water watcher'' when other kids are in the water. Parents should also keep a telephone, leaf net, and life preserver nearby.
Visit our Water Watchers Web page for more information on the program and how to keep your kids safe around water or download the "Water Safety isf or YOU" presentation for first-graders.
