Surviving is only the beginning.
Adam survived. Many children do. A nonfatal drowning can change a child’s life, and a whole family’s, for good. Many drowning prevention groups were started in memory of a child who died. Ours was started for one who lived.
You are not alone.
Drowning happens to loving, careful families. Ours is one of them. If your child survived a drowning and you want to talk, find help, or tell your story so it protects another child, write to us.
People often tell our mom, Shannon, “I don’t know how you do it.” In 2024 she answered:
“The fact is, we’re not interested in the alternative. We’ve been there. … We keep busy, so we don’t go backwards. We work hard to show our children that it’s okay to get knocked down, it’s okay to grieve, but it is our responsibility to quietly get up, keep pushing forward and do the next right thing.”
Our mom, Shannon
Places to find help
- Project One CauseSupport for families after a nonfatal drowning, including parent mentors, financial help and a recovery resources guide.
- Brain Injury Association of AmericaInformation, a national helpline, and state affiliates for families living with brain injury.
- Brain Injury Association of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania resources, support groups and advocacy for brain injury survivors and families. Call the free Brain Injury Resource Line at 1-800-444-6443, leave your number, and a volunteer calls you back.
- BrainSTEPS school re-entry program (Pennsylvania)Free help for Pennsylvania students going back to school after any kind of brain injury. A local team works with your family and your child’s school.
- Pennsylvania Early Intervention (CONNECT Helpline)Free developmental support for infants and toddlers. Call CONNECT at 1-800-692-7288 to get started.
- Family VoicesFamily-to-family help with navigating health care and services for children with special health care needs.
- Parent to Parent USAMatches you with an experienced parent whose child has similar needs.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineCall or text 988, any time, if grief, guilt or stress feels like too much.
A note on treatment.Families of drowning survivors often hear about many different therapies. Our family shares what helped Adam, but every child is different. Please make treatment decisions with your child’s medical team.
What “nonfatal drowning” means
Health experts define drowning as having trouble breathing because the body went under or into water. Many children survive a drowning. Some recover completely. Others, like Adam, live with injuries that last a lifetime.
That’s why we say Adam is a drowning survivor. He didn’t “almost drown.” He drowned, and he survived.
By the numbers
- 8,000+Emergency department visits for nonfatal drowning in the U.S. each year (2012–2021 average).CDC
- ~40%Nearly 4 in 10 drownings treated in emergency departments need a hospital stay or transfer for more care. That’s 3 times the rate for other unintentional injuries.CDC, 2026
- 5,900Children under 15 treated in an emergency room each year after a nonfatal drowning in a pool or spa (estimated, 2023–2025).CPSC, 2026 report
Life after a drowning
The hospital stay
Intensive care, ventilators, scans, and waiting. Our mom stood beside Adam’s crib for 33 days before she was allowed to hold him, two hours from home, with four other kids who needed her too.
“I decided I would be the smartest person in the room when it came to Adam’s care. I would be his voice, his advocate, his warrior mom.”
Our mom
Brain injury
When the brain goes without oxygen, the injury can affect movement, speech, eating, vision, learning and behavior. Every child’s recovery looks different.
Therapy, equipment & costs
Physical, occupational and speech therapy, specialists, equipment and home changes. Some treatments aren’t covered by insurance, and the costs keep going for years.
The whole family
Parents carry grief, guilt and exhaustion. Siblings carry their own worry. Friendships, jobs and marriages are all tested. Families need support that lasts.
“Every day they faced friends and strangers alike who all asked how their brother was doing. And when the answer “good” was received as “totally healed,” they had to explain that a good day just meant that he’s still alive.”
Our mom, about Adam’s big sisters
The victories
Survivor families learn to celebrate everything: a smile, a laugh, a new sound, a little more strength than yesterday. Progress comes in its own time, and every bit of it counts.
“For 15 months, all I begged for was his smile to return.”
Our mom
The village
Nobody gets through this alone. It takes prayer warriors, meal trains, therapists, teachers, and friends who keep showing up. That’s what a village looks like.
“Those closest to us understand that sometimes we simply lack energy and words. We are so thankful you don’t take it personally and show up for us anyway, even if it’s just in your daily prayers.”
Our mom
We keep living, and Adam comes with us.
Weddings, graduations, Halloween, Disney, the beach, the snow. Adam can’t exactly join in, but we still do the normal family things, and we still include him. It takes extra effort: getting him out of bed and into his stroller, getting his equipment ready, getting him portable. We do it anyway. Life goes on, and he’s part of it.
Watch: Christmas ticklesDecember 25, 2018, from our mom’s page
How to support a family after a drowning
“For every tragic story you read, there are family members in horrendous pain blaming themselves. … When you hear these stories, pause and find kindness.”
Our mom, Shannon
- Don’t judge. Drowning happens to loving, careful families. Skip the comments section.
- Keep showing up. Months and years later, not just the first week.
- Help with the ordinary. Meals, laundry, and rides to school and practice for the brothers and sisters.
- Say the child’s name. Ask how they’re doing, and celebrate every milestone with them.
- Never say “move on.” This kind of grief doesn’t end. Help them carry it.
Pass it on.
If you know a family living life after a drowning, send them this page. If you are that family, write to us.