It happened nine years ago in the blink of an eye. Six year-old Kira Reddick drowned during a swimming lesson when her instructor’s head was turned.
“She never had a chance. She never fully got to live life and I never want that to happen to anyone else,” said her father, Russ Reddick.
On September 7, Reddick hit the road to spread the message of drowning prevention. Reddick plans to cover 10,000 miles and hit all four corners of the continental U.S. on his motorcycle.
According to information on a Facebook page and the family’s fundraising page, Reddick left his home in Casper, Wyoming on his 2007 Suzuki Hayabusa, and he is headed to the first “corner”, Blaine, Washington.
He plans to travel to San Ysidro, CA, Key West, FL and Madawaska, ME, before returning home to Casper. The trip will take him about a month and he hopes to raise awareness about the senseless catastrophe of drowning while raising money for the Higgins and Langley Memorial and Education Fund.
Along his route, Reddick will meet with members of Drowning Support Network (DSN) and participate in water safety and drowning prevention events hosted by public safety agencies. DSN is an online, all volunteer support group sponsored by the small non-profit organization, Higgins and Langley Memorial and Education Fund.
DSN also offers peer support for families who have lost loved ones to drowning or other aquatic accidents, including those where the recovery process is lengthy or difficult, or situations where no physical remains have been recovered.
“The Drowning Support Network was there for us when we really needed help,” said Kira’s mom, Angela Reddick. “It’s an amazing source of information for families who have lost loved ones to drowning. In addition to support, we were encouraged to educate ourselves about our grief, drowning awareness and prevention, and how to help others.”
And that’s just what they’ve set out to do. In addition to raising drowning prevention awareness, the family has started a fundraising page in the hopes of raising $10,000 for the Higgins and Langley Memorial and Education Fund.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, on average 10-12 people die from drowning every day in the United States and over 500,000 people drown every year worldwide. Drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages 4 and younger, and is the second leading cause of death in kids 14 and younger. That means that every year 830 kids age 14 or younger die from drowning.
These are the haunting facts that will keep Reddick fueled and focused on his mission. Of Kira’s drowning, Reddick said, “I wasn’t the first person it happened to, and I won’t be the last.”
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Original article here...Russ Brown Lawyer Blog
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