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Testimonials | Dylan
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 loose 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
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