A Texas mom must remain hopeful following the death of one of her twin boys after they were both found unconscious in a swimming pool last weekend.
When Demi Schroeder woke up last Saturday, she was shocked that her sons, Noah and Levi, weren’t in the room, CBS Austin reports.
Schroeder said:
“All of a sudden, I hear my Nanny say they’re in the pool back here and I run from the front yard to the back yard and my grandma is pulling my kids out of the pool.”
Schroeder’s grandfather had passed away a couple of weeks prior, so the three had come to visit her grandmother in Cedar Creek.
The mother of two believes the toddlers were only in the pool for a few minutes before they were located.
After Schroeder dialed 911, Bastrop County Sheriff’s deputies quickly arrived and began performing CPR on the boys.
She speculates that Noah, who had bright blue eyes and loved water, went in first. In support of her belief, Levi’s heart started beating first.
STAR Flight transported Levi to the hospital, while Noah was taken by ambulance.
STAR Flight is “the only 24/7 aerial emergency medical service in Texas that performs highly specialized emergency response services.”
It is unclear why the boys were transported two different ways.
As Noah was in the emergency room fighting for his life, his family did all they could to encourage him.
Schroeder recalls:
“They ask me what they need from me and I said I need you to sing for him, so we all sing his favorite song and he had a little heartbeat. I think that was the last time his heart beat on its own.”
After his death, Noah’s organs were donated to five individuals. The hospital raised a “Donate Life” flag on Thursday in honor of Noah.
On the other hand, Levi is now breathing on his own.
Schroeder said:
“He’s opening his eyes and he’s so groggy from medication. Right now, we’re just fighting for Levi and that’s all we’re worried about is him.”
A GoFundMe has been created to cover funeral costs for Noah and rehab for Levi.
According to CBS Austin, Noah is the fifth child in 2019 to drown in Texas.
Lucie’s List reports that nearly 800 children die annually by drowning.
To prevent these tragedies from occurring, the site recommends that pool owners “install a four-sided fence that’s at least 4-5 feet tall, with a self-closing, self-latching gate.”
Further, adding an alarm to the gate is a great precautionary step as well.
In addition to a fence, pool owners can have a net that is anchored to the pool’s sides and stretches over the top of the pool professionally installed. Parents may also want to invest in a child pool alarm device like Safety Turtle when visiting places with pools or water.
The wristband device alerts parents as soon as it gets wet.
Lastly, the site warns parents that if they can’t find their children, “check the pool FIRST.”
