LENOX TWP., Mich. (WXYZ) — There was a near tragedy in Macomb County after a 2-year-old nearly drowned in her family's pool.
The toddler could not swim and did not have a life jacket. The child's parents are speaking out in hopes no other parents has this experience.
"There was no splashing or yelling like they show in the movies," said Shelby Majer, mother of the 2-year-old Tatum. "It was completely silent."
She said her daughter was at the bottom of the pool before her sister was able to pull her out.
"She was blue," Shelby said. "She was lifeless. Her veins were popping out of her forehead."
Taytum got through a locked gate, past her parents, and went unnoticed by her two sisters who were also in the pool. Taytum's parents said she was underwater for 30 seconds.
Her father successfully performed CPR. However, her parents say five hours after the incident she suffered delayed drowning. A symptom that doctors told the the family is life-threatening.
"They [doctors] said it's when water pulls along your lungs and your lungs absorbs it," Shelby said. "It takes a while for your body to observe it."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports about ten people die from unintentional drowning. About one in five people who die are children under 14.
Taytum's father says she has shown no signs since the accident but the near tragedy has shaken her parents.
"We thought we took every precaution there was but unfortunately it's not like it is in the movies," Taytum's father said. "We did everything we could and it still happened."
