Florida — As World Drowning Prevention Day approaches on July 25, a Florida mother is sharing the heartbreaking story of losing her toddler in hopes that other families never have to experience the same pain.
Nearly 17 years after the tragic drowning of her 19-month-old daughter, Edna Mae, affectionately known as “Em,” Casey McGovern continues to speak openly about the devastating loss. Her message comes as Florida remains on pace for another tragic year of childhood drownings, with dozens of young lives already lost.
McGovern hopes her family’s experience encourages parents to take water safety seriously before it’s too late.
A Tragic Moment That Changed Everything
McGovern said her life changed forever in August 2009 during what had started as an ordinary day.
She had just returned home after grocery shopping and was preparing for the week ahead when, within minutes, everything changed.
“29 minutes from grocery shopping, planning my week out for a family of five, to our worst nightmare happening,” she said.
During those brief moments, she and her husband lost sight of Em.
McGovern recalled seeing her daughter floating in the family’s backyard pool before rushing into the water.
“I caught her out of the corner of my eye, floating in our pool because it wasn’t on my radar,” McGovern recalled. “And I ran around, jumped in the pool, and just held her and screamed.”
Looking back, she says there are several safety measures she wishes had been in place before the tragedy happened.
Lessons She Wishes Every Parent Knew
McGovern now encourages families to check the pool first whenever a child is missing, install safety barriers and door alarms, enroll children in swim lessons early, and avoid relying on inflatable floaties, which she says can create a false sense of security.
She compares having an unsecured backyard pool with young children to leaving a dangerous weapon within easy reach.
“Having a pool in your backyard when you have toddlers is like having that loaded gun sitting on your coffee table,” McGovern said. “You would never do that unprotected or unsecured.”
She also urged parents to learn from her family’s experience.
“She was a gift, and she was cut short,” she said. “That’s why I’m screaming: learn from us. We didn’t have door chimes. We used floaties. Learn from us so it doesn’t have to happen to you.”
Florida Continues to Face Child Drowning Crisis
Despite years of public awareness campaigns, drowning remains one of the leading causes of accidental death among young children in Florida.
According to McGovern, 120 children died from drowning across the state last year, and 75 child drowning deaths have already been recorded this year, underscoring the ongoing importance of water safety education.
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“Those are numbers that we’re all focused on for statistics,” McGovern said. “Those are babies. Those are people that are supposed to be here, and those are parents that are potentially going to be ripped apart.”
Turning Personal Loss Into a Mission to Save Lives
Following Em’s death, McGovern founded the Every Child A Swimmer program, which provides three months of free swim lessons to eligible children. Florida has also expanded its swim lesson voucher program this year to include children up to 7 years old.
Still, McGovern stresses that swim lessons are only the beginning and should be reinforced over time.
“I think that so many parents don’t understand that six to eight lessons is just a start,” she said. “And also, it’s not like riding a bike at first.”
She encourages families to make swimming skills a priority from the moment children begin crawling or walking.
“I think that the moment they become mobile, the moment they’re starting to crawl, get them in swim lessons,” she said. “Make that your first sport.”
Reflecting on the loss of her daughter, who would have been 18 years old today, McGovern says she would have done anything differently if she had understood the risks sooner.
“I would have spent my last dollars if I would have known,” she said. “I just didn’t know. I thought I had time.”
What steps do you think families can take to better prevent childhood drownings? Share your thoughts or water safety tips respectfully in the comments below.
