Parents who suffer the loss of a child and turn it into something positive are my heroes. And so it is with Abbey’s Hope, a nonprofit founded because 6 year old Abbey Taylor died doing something she loved – swimming. Abbey’s parents, Scott and Katey Taylor are vice-president and president respectively of Abbey’s Hope. Their mission is to promote pool and spa safety education and legislation.
Abbey’s Injury and Fight for Life
In June of 2007, Abbey, her sisters and some friends went for a swim at a golf club’s pool. All of the children finished swimming and went to shower except Abbey. She was injured, but at the time of the incident no one knew how seriously. Hours later, doctors learned that Abbey had been disemboweled by an uncovered pool drain. The suction ripped out her small intestine.
Abbey shouldn’t have survived, but she did. She went through many surgeries and hospital stays, including triple-transplant surgery – a liver, small bowel and pancreas. While sick and weak, Abbey did the things she loved most – singing, riding a bicycle, attending parties, and most of all, spending time with her parents and her sisters. Sadly, after infections, kidney dialysis, cancer and her body rejecting her new organs, Abbey Taylor died on March 20, 2008, just nine months after the disembowelment.
Abbey’s Parents’ Promise and Abbey’s Hope
Because Abbey’s parents made a promise to her that this kind of injury wouldn’t happen again to anyone else, the Abbey’s Hope Foundation was formed.
One of the goals of Abbey’s Hope is to teach about pool safety. Here are the Four Steps to Safer Pools:
- Avoid Dangerous Drains
- Teach Swimming and Lifesaving Skills
- Install Barriers
- Be Vigilant
Abbey’s Hope has come up with a way to ensure that an adult is always supervising children when they are swimming, even when there is a lifeguard on duty. It’s the Water WatchDog program. Learn more about this take the pledge and receive a free Watchdog tag.
Learn about safe pool drain covers. The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (the “VGB Actâ€) was signed into law by President George Bush on December 19, 2007, and became effective on December 19, 2008. This law covers only public pools. Please be alert in checking each pool and spa cover to see if it is a dome-shaped, anti-entrapment cover. If in doubt, don’t swim or enter the pool or spa.
What You Can Do
- Visit Abbey’s Hope and learn more.
- Share this post.
- Make a donation.
- Follow Abbey’s Hope on Twitter and Facebook.
I received no compensation for this post. The story of Abbey Taylor and her family inspired me to share their story and the information about Abbey’s Hope.
About 
Twitter: FoundtheMarbles
says:
Such an important post. Every year where I live we hear about the tragic death of a child in a pool. Those drains can be so incredibly dangerous.
Jessica recently posted..Preventing Teen Diabetes with Healthy Habits and Physical Activity
It felt like something that needed to be promoted, Jessica.
Twitter: blm03
says:
I’ll be posting about this on my blog too. This is something so many people don’t know about!
Lisa recently posted..Wordless Wednesday
Be sure to let me know when you write about it, Lisa. I’ll help you promote it.
Twitter: 89linz
says:
OMG! What a traumatic story. I don’t know how her parents are doing it all while dealing with this. I’m glad this organization exists to educate us all. I will definitely be careful around pool drains for sure now.
Lindsay recently posted..Dollar General Every Day Heroes Giveaway
Thanks for reading about Abbey’s Hope. It’s a nonprofit that makes a real difference.
Twitter: momof3boys3702
says:
OH my goodness, Connie! I had no clue drains could do that! How horrid for the parents
Kelli Miller ( recently posted..Stop Teaching Your Kids To Be Lazy!
I cried when I read about Abbey. She was a strong and wise child. And her parents are doing an important job by educating others about the dangers of pool drains.
Twitter: LisaNoel03
says:
thanks for this post. I think the only thing I don’t usually do is keep a phone nearby. Never really thought about that but you can bet I will be this summer!! I LOVE the water but since none of my boys are strong swimmers yet I am always in arms reach of them even in a shallow pool
Lisa recently posted..Best Day Ever! Wordless Wednesday 5/23/12 #WW
It’s so important to supervise our children near the water and a phone can come in handy during an emergency. I’m glad the info from Abbey’s Hope helped you out, Lisa.
What a wonderful non-profit. More people need to be aware!
Melissa recently posted..Make It Pretty Wednesdays: A Delicious & Easy Summer Treat!
Yes they do, Melissa. I hope my post and others sharing it will help get the word out.
Twitter: thelifeofrylie
says:
This post brought tears to my eyes! What a horrible tragedy for Abbey and her family. I can’t even imagine what they went through. Her parents have founded a great organization in her memory, and hopefully it will help save other children.
The dangers of pool drains are not as well known as those of children drowning because they fell in a pool or were unsupervised, but they should be. We had our pool built in 2005, and we made sure that both the pool and spa were equipped with two drains to prevent entrapment.
Thank you so much for sharing!
LeeAnn recently posted..Wordless Wednesday: Uncle Danny
You did the right thing, LeeAnn – two drains are perfectly safe for both pools and spas. I agree that drain safety is as well known as drowning and supervising children around water. That’s why I felt compelled to share this story.
Twitter: 2Wired2Tired
says:
How awful that this happened but it’s wonderful that they are raising awareness for it.
Tesa recently posted..Easy Sweet Corn on the Cob with Cilantro Lime Butter
Very true, Tesa. Their foundation is working tirelessly to reach parents and to change laws.
Twitter: 5minutesformom
says:
Oh my goodness, that is soooooo awful. I’ve never even heard of anything like that.
Thank you for sharing this information. I’ll tweet it out.
I remember hearing something about this, Susan. I’m not sure if it was about Abbey though. The foundation brought it back and made me realize how easily it can happen.
Twitter: JoscelynRC
says:
I have been more aware of the dangers of pools since moving to Florida. What a horrible tragedy for these parents but how courageous that they are making others aware through their foundation so other parents don’t have to go through this.
Joscelyn recently posted..Land O’Lakes Deli Cheese, Soup and Sandwich Recipes, and Giveaway @LandOLakesKtchn
Same here, Joscelyn. We live in Florida and know about drowning and pool safety, but not so much about pool drain safety until now.
Twitter: MomMaven
says:
Thanks Connie, this is so important to be aware of, especially at this time of year!
Cindy recently posted..LEGOLAND Florida Water Park Opens Today
Twitter: Pamlovesbooks
says:
Wow. I really admire people who can recover from something like this.
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