MS Gulf Coast's Lil' Shrimps Swim Academy

Being from the Mississippi Gulf Coast has made me a water bug all of my life. I was a competitive swimmer in high school, my husband and I are avid boaters and we have a pool & spa for recreational use at home. We love water, and being from the coast with unrelenting heat why not jump in & enjoy the water!
I have been a Registered Nurse since 2008, the majority of this time spent in Critical Care. During my career I have been faced with numerous children who have drowned or had near drowning experiences. In July of 2012, a few months after the birth of my son, my husband and I had some friends over to cook and swim. In a matter of seconds all of our lives were changed forever when one of their three year olds jumped into our pool unannounced, unassisted, and without any flotation device. Blessedly, what occurred was noticed immediately and he was pulled out and stayed a night at USA’s children’s hospital for a near drowning.
After being shaken up for a while, I became proactive. I was not going to let this happen to my child and as long as we had friends over swimming it would never happen to their children again! I learned drowning is silent and can happen at arm’s length. I wanted to learn how to prevent this preventable tragedy! I was over taking care of drowned children. Something had to change!
After many lessons offered on the coast prepared my son for splashing around in a pool. I discovered a method that taught survival techniques to young children. This is exactly what my son needed! He HAD to learn the survival method. But the closest one was 2 hours away! This was unbelievable! South MS is on the Gulf of Mexico, we have tropical conditions, and almost everyone I know has a pool, boat, or pond nearby. Mississippi ranks as the third highest state in the nation for accidental drowning among children!
I decided I would bring this survival technique to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. After 140+ hours of rigorous, hands on, in water training in Georgia. Mississippi Gulf Coast’s Lil Shrimps was born.