text: Trigger warning: child loss 
   
   We were never supposed to leave our beach vacation early to plan a funeral for our 3-year-old son. And, yet, within the course of one week, we had driven to the beach, returned without him, and held his funeral. 
   
   Do you know that drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages 1-4 and the second leading cause in ages 1-14? Do you know that 69% of children who drown are not expected to be swimming, yet they are found in water? Do you know that a child can drown in less than one minute? 
   
   Unfortunately, I know these facts all too well. On June 10, 2018, my three year old son, Levi, drowned while on vacation in Fort Morgan, AL. 
   
   There is a misconception that drowning only happens when you are swimming. But, drowning also happens when you are 200 feet away from a pool, upstairs, eating Cheetos, wearing your neon yellow crab-hunting shirt, when you leave your mom’s side, even though you are usually Velcro-ed to her. Drowning isn’t splashing and yelling. It is silent, and it takes SECONDS. 
   
   I have always taken water safety seriously. In each of the pictures I have of my son’s final day, he is wearing a life jacket. Flying a kite with his dad? Life jacket. Eating M&M’s in a beach chair? Life jacket. 
   
   How could I have known that every parent’s worst nightmare would be my reality? It happened so quickly. I don’t know how Levi got away from us as we were cleaning up from dinner, or what lured him to go outside alone. I was the one who found him, face down, in the deep end. Just moments before this horrific discovery, I split a brownie with him. I still had the other half of the brownie in my mouth when I jumped into the pool to grab my son. Mere moments, seconds. 
   
   We had six physicians on our trip, including my own husband. If Levi could have been saved by desperation, skill, and love, he would still be here. Yet, how did I not fully realize just how quickly a child can drown? They initiated CPR immediately, even intubated him before the ambulance arrived. But Levi could not be saved, even with this immediate response. 
   
   In the days after we lost Levi, when we were forced to stumble forward without our baby boy, I started researching. I am (was?) on my third journey of parenting a child in the 1-4 age group. Why did I not know that drowning is the leading cause of death? Of course, I knew drowning was a potential danger. We utilized life jackets, swim lessons, supervision while swimming. But why did I not know about the dangers of drowning during NON-SWIMMING times? How did I not know it took less than one minute? 
   
   Why is my mom-brain filled with internal debates about screen time, organic fruit, and sunscreen free of oxybenzone? I still cut my 9-year-old’s grapes. I buy DHA milk. I worry that the hours of YouTube my kids watch will prevent them from being functioning adults one day. These are the topics that are pushed in my direction, the worries that I have grasped onto as I navigate parenting. Well, the unfortunate irony here is that I had taken the iPhone away from my son not too long before he slipped away from us. I sure wish I had cared a little less about screen time that night. 
   
   The more I researched, the angrier I became. Oh, and I had to search. Why are discussions about drowning almost an afterthought? Background noise? This is a LEADING cause of death, and it is 100% PREVENTABLE. Yes, there are news stories, but we have become numb to these “don’t forget to watch your kids while swimming” factual articles that are regurgitated each year and the faded “no lifeguard on duty” signs stuck on a wall by a pool. 
   
   The harsh reality is that Levi’s death rests on me. These are the hardest words I will ever have to admit, but the truth is that I failed my son, failed to keep him safe. Yes, this accident happened in moments. But, the fact that I have to live with for the rest of my life is that losing Levi was preventable. I am not trying to push blame off of my shoulders. But, I sure wish I had known these statistics before June 10. 
   
   For the last month, I have fueled my grief and anger into action. Based on the research on drowning, I have created a non-profit called Levi’s Legacy. My mission is to eradicate drowning completely. You can read more about my mission (and about designated supervision) at www.levislegacy.com. 
   
   So, here I am, a grieving mother facing a future I would never have imagined. Lying in bed and sobbing will not bring him back (oh, but if it would). I don’t want this role of water-safety advocate. I want 30 seconds back on June 10. But I am determined to share these facts I so desperately wish I had known. Levi’s message has already spread, but now, it’s time to take the next step, and it is a big one. 
   
   American Academy of Pediatrics, I am asking for your help. We need you. I say this as someone who is married to a physician and who respects my own pediatrician very much. But, thousands of people have reached out to me over the last month sharing the same comment each time: “I had no idea. Why didn’t I know any of this about drowning?” 
   
   I am well aware how much a pediatrician has to cover during a well-child visit: build a relationship, answer questions, prepare for milestones, look into the ears of a squirming child. Pediatricians have thousands of topics they must be knowledgable of and share with parents. Therefore, American Academy of Pediatrics, you play a major role in setting priorities and equipping your pediatricians with the resources they need in order to inform parents and help eliminate this preventable tragedy. Parents of young children, especially in the age range of 1-4, should be given a handout that clearly explains the statistics on drowning. On the questionnaire, when I fill out it if my child can hold a crayon, hop on one foot, or sleep through the night, there needs to be a section on water safety. American Academy of Pediatrics, you have the platform and power to reach millions. Please, please join this cause. 
   
   The AAP has a website for parents (www.healthychildren.org); on July 11, 2018, in the middle of summer, do you know how many times “drowning” was displayed on the homepage? Zero. When I searched “drowning,” I found a list of 17 total items, with articles from 2017 and 2014 being at the top. These articles include information that is so dull that nobody will read it (assuming anyone searches). They include information on how to tell if your child is drowning, such as: “eyes closed / not using legs/ appearing to be climbing an invisible ladder.” Not only is this a waste of words (is a parent seriously going to go through this mental checklist before saving a child?), but it just reinforces to people the incorrect assumption that drowning means splashing and yelling. 
   
   A 3-year-old can drown in less than one minute: silently and without a struggle. The articles also fail to mention how often (the majority of times) drowning happens when not swimming. I am like any other mom: winging it, doing my best, and depending on parenting guidance from pediatricians and parenting articles. How else am I supposed to know what I am doing? Drowning needs to be addressed with as much concern as newborns sleeping on their backs to sleep, vaccinations, and car seat safety. Drowning is just as deadly and just as preventable. Drowning is a leading cause of death in children, and it needs to be treated as such. Can we please start talking about it? 
   
   I want to make it clear that hundreds of pediatricians and other medical professionals have reached out to me about Levi’s story. I am encouraged, humbled, and touched by how many of these influential people are already advocating for water safety and want to continue to be part of this solution. Thank you. I hope to get the same response from the American Academy of Pediatrics. 
   
   I used to be the parent who would read a story like this one and immediately start scanning, looking for a loophole, desperate for the detail that would exempt me from this particular nightmare ever being mine. But, it turns out, tragedy does not play fair. My son is gone. And, yet, we are choosing to live a purposeful life in the midst of this ultimate despair. 
   
   We have two daughters, Levi’s older sisters, whom he adored, and we cannot let them lose us, too. This pain is unimaginable, but every second is a CHOICE. I am choosing to breathe, choosing to advocate. The pain and darkness threaten to suffocate. But when I choose to turn on the light, I see goodness. People are hearing Levi’s message, questioning why they didn’t know the truth about drowning, taking action. 
   
   We have a chance to change the future, to save sons and daughters, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Trust me, I never imagined myself in the role of water-safety advocate until I was thrust into it by my grief. Drowning is a leading cause of death and is 100% preventable. We can do better. We can fix this for our children. ||||| Bode Miller‘s wife, Morgan Beck Miller, does not want another parent to know the pain she and her husband are going through after their 19-month-old daughter drowned in a backyard pool accident. 
   
   The mother of two, 31, shared a photo of her and Miller’s late daughter Emeline Grier in the snow on Tuesday. Beck Miller shared a heartfelt message to other parents, urging them to speak more about preventing drowning than topics like organic foods or how long children stare at a screen. 
   
   “It’s been 37 days since I’ve held my baby girl. I pray to God no other parent feels this pain. My heart is with you @nicolehughes8 as we walk this journey together,” she wrote in the caption, naming another mother whose child drowned. “And thank you @scarymommy for helping us spread awareness.” 
   
   “PLEASE READ! Link in bio! Drowning is the NUMBER ONE cause of death in children ages 1-4. We talk about vaccinations, car seats, organic foods, screen time, etc at length…but not the number one risk your children’s’ lives face…a silent killer,” she added. “It takes SECONDS. Please share and help us spread awareness. It’s the first step to preventing these types of tragedies. #drowning#drowningprevention#truthaboutdrowning.” 
   
   A rep for Miller did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. 
   
   Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the PEOPLE Babies newsletter. 
   
   In early June, Emeline drowned in a pool in the neighborhood of Coto de Caza, California. The Orange County Fire Department said at the time that paramedics were rushed to the scene and performed CPR before transporting her to a nearby hospital where she was unable to be resuscitated. 
   
   Miller and Beck Miller married in 2012 and share two children together, including Emeline. Before her death, however, the couple announced they were expecting their third child together on Instagram. 
   
   Bode, 40, and Morgan are parents to 3-year-old son Nash Skan, and Miller is also a father to two children from previous relationships: son Samuel, 5, and daughter Neesyn, 10. 
   
   Beck Miller implored parents to read a story written by another parent who lost her son when he drowned on a recent family vacation. 
   
   Nicole Hughes’ 3-year-old son, Levi, drowned in a pool in Fort Morgan, Alabama, on June 10. In a first-person piece for blog Scary Mommy, Hughes warned that her son silently drowned within seconds. 
   
   “It happened so quickly. I don’t know how Levi got away from us as we were cleaning up from dinner, or what lured him to go outside alone,” Hughes wrote. 
   
   “I was the one who found him, face down, in the deep end. Just moments before this horrific discovery, I split a brownie with him. I still had the other half of the brownie in my mouth when I jumped into the pool to grab my son. Mere moments, seconds.” 
   
   While still struggling to come to terms with what happened, Hughes is doing what she can so it does not happen to another child and created a non-profit called Levi’s Legacy. 
   
   “Lying in bed and sobbing will not bring him back (oh, but if it would). I don’t want this role of water-safety advocate. I want 30 seconds back on June 10. But I am determined to share these facts I so desperately wish I had known.”
target: – The wife of Olympic skier Bode Miler has spoken out on the tragic death of 19-month-old daughter Emeline—and says she doesn't want any other mother to experience what she is going through. "It’s been 37 days since I’ve held my baby girl. I pray to God no other parent feels this pain," Morgan Beck Miller wrote in an Instagram post, sharing a picture of Emeline and a link to another grieving mother's story of how her 3-year-old son drowned on a family holiday. Authorities say Emeline drowned in a "very short amount of time" last month after wandering away from her mother and falling in a backyard pool. In her post, Beck Miller, who has a 3-year-old son and is expecting a third child, said parents discuss issues like vaccinations and screen time at length but rarely talk about drowning, People reports. "Drowning is the NUMBER ONE cause of death in children ages 1-4," she wrote. “It takes SECONDS. Please share and help us spread awareness." In an earlier Instagram post, Beck Miller thanked everybody who had supported the family and said money raised in a GoFundMe campaign would go to causes connected to water safety education. "We are inspired to make our baby girls memory go forth and help prevent as many drownings as possible," she wrote. (Earlier this month, a California woman drowned trying to rescue her three children.)