You're listening to life kit from NPR.
Hey, everybody, it's Marielle.
So I feel like one of the joys of life is taking a dip in the pool or another body of water on a hot summer day.
But as refreshing and awe inspiring as water can be, we know it can also be powerful and dangerous, and that's something we all need to take seriously, especially if we have kids in our lives.
Drowning is the number one reason that children one to four die, and it's.
The second cause of death for five to 14 year olds.
That was Shaizek Sonoda, by the way, the founder and executive director of no More under a non profit focused on water safety.
In 2018, when her son Yori was three years old, he drowned in a backyard pool.
And I thought I was doing everything right as a mother.
And once that happened, obviously it turned my life upside down.
And I recognized how many people and parents didn't have all of the understanding and tools to keep their children safe.
Shazik says one of the things that shocked her was how quick and quiet drowning can be.
I think initially you kind of think it's a splashing thing.
You think it's loud, you think you're going to be able to hear it, but quick, quiet.
And when I say quick, it's that quick.
The US Army Corps of Engineers says it can take as little as 20 seconds for a child to drown.
Also, a lot of the time when kids drown, there are adults present and even in the water.
That was the case when Yuri drowned.
Now, you may think, this isn't going to happen to me or my kids, and maybe that's because we don't talk about drowning and how it happens enough.
Downing is just a silent epidemic that people don't really discuss on a daily basis because there's some shame involved.