Dylan Testimonials

Why I Learned to Swim With Mr. Blue
By Dylan Pita

I am an energetic, rambunctious and adventurous 3.5 year old boy. I also suffer from epilepsy and autism, although that doesn’t stop me from experiencing all the joys and risks that show up on a daily basis. I love the water but do not know how to swim unless I have a float around my chest. I can splash around the whole pool without any effort. On July 2nd, 2010 I was playing video games in my 7 year old brothers’ room while he was watching TV in the family room. My mom was at the hospital with my grandfather who was very ill. We had just finished redoing the pool deck which had Chattahoochee and bothered my feet. The deck was now smooth and slip-proof and real pretty. The baby fence had been taken down for one week- the only week in 7 years since we had moved to this house. Now, the water was very dirty because of all the work done on the floor and my dad had rented a pump to empty the pool and fill it up with fresh water. My dad had connected the pump to the outlet inside the dining room which led out to the pool because the outlets outside the house kept triggering the breakers. My brother had come into his room and took over the video game so I became bored and walked out to the dining room. I did not see my dad and realized I finally had my chance to see the new floor and my pool without the baby fence. WOW!! I really loved it without the baby fence. I could walk around it with no problem. I could run and jump into the pool from any angle and the best- I could decide when to get into the pool. So, I took the chance and walked down the steps of the pool. The water was cold but I did not care- I was free! I did not need help!!! The water was also low since my dad had pumped out about half of the water already so I could reach farther into the pool. All of a sudden I realized I walked into water and I could not reach the floor-I splashed, I kicked but I could not get a sound out of my mouth. Water just kept coming in and no one was around to lift me out. I don’t remember the rest so I will let my Mom finish my story…

Mom’s Version

I had left the hospital and called my husband to let him know I was coming home. I also asked about the children. My husband was telling me about the water pump and what had happened with the breakers when all of a sudden I hear the phone drop, and from very far away — “No Dylan, No Dylan, No Dylan — call rescue, call rescue”! My husbands crying screams haunt me to this day. I hung up and called rescue. He saw our son floating face down in the middle of the pool inert and lifeless. He jumped into the pool and hauled out his body and immediately began CPR. He threw up once but was still unconscious. My husband carried our son to our next door neighbors’ house and with their help he continued the CPR. Our son threw up two more times and finally regained consciousness as the rescue arrived. The ambulance transported him to the emergency room to be checked out. Thankfully his lungs were clear and he appeared to be all-right except for an ear infection they found which was causing a slight temperature. A cat scan was done on his head because of a slight bump. After one night in PICU he was allowed to go home with full clearance. We had homicide detectives, children protective services and police officers stopping by our home for two weeks. We are lucky and blessed that the outcome was positive and that we did not lose our son that day. We were referred to Ms. Julie by his therapist and we are so thankful that she was able to teach him in such a loving way how to swim. Even with everything he went thru he was able to get back in with no fear. That is why our son learned to swim with Mr. Blue. Thank you Mr. Blue. We now all know what to do.

The Pita Family