E L L I E ' S  V O I C E

It is my new life’s mission to honor Ellie’s memory, to make sure she is never forgotten. The first thing I am doing is I want to do is get a bill of law passed to mandate that people follow specific residential pool regulations and penalize those you do not. These pool ordinances will protect and prevent accidental, or neglectful, drownings, especially for children. Drowning is the second leading cause of sudden accidental death in children under fourteen. If the right regulations are in place and upheld ,and if there are consequences for those who do not abide by the law, we can decrease the number of residential pool drownings. Education on pool safety is not enough because no one believes this can happen to them or someone they love. People do not wear their seat belts or follow traffic laws because they deeply care about their safety and the safety of those around them. They follow these rules and regulations because they are laws and there are consequences if they choose otherwise, especially if a person dies as a result.

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The second thing I am working on is creating a support group here in Asheville for bereaved parents. I was shocked and disappointed that I could not easily find one. The one or two I did find were through doctors required insurance or some sort of payment. Unfortunately,I know I am not the only person in the area who has suffered a tragedy such as this, so there needs to be a support group that is free and easy to find. Bereavement is such an isolating experience, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

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As a mother, it is my duty to seek justice for my daughter and to right the wrongs that contributed to her death. I am here to fight her battles, to carry on her memory. I am her voice, and I won’t stop screaming until things change, until there are real efforts made to prevent this from happening again.