Olympian Bode Miller & Wife Open Up About Tragic Death of 19-Month-Old Daughter
One of the biggest summertime threats to young families is unsecured pools. While they may represent a fun way to beat the heat, they often turn into a parent’s worst nightmare.
Very young children have a deadly combination of curiosity and no fear. They don’t understand the dangers an open pool presents, which is why adults need to be so vigilant to watch out for their little ones.
One of the most recent victims of this tragic threat was the daughter of Bode Miller, a former Olympic skier, and his wife Morgan, a professional volleyball player.
Last month, they were visiting a neighbor who had a pool. Their 19-month-old, Emeline, was later found in the pool after she wandered off and found a way outside.
First responders rushed to the scene, but the little girl had no pulse and paramedics were unable to revive her.
“We are beyond devastated. Our baby girl, Emmy, passed away yesterday,” Bode wrote on Instagram on June 11.
“Never in a million years did we think we would experience a pain like this. Her love, her light, her spirit will never be forgotten. Our little girl loved life and lived it to (its) fullest every day. Our family respectfully requests privacy during this painful time.”
The parents were distraught, but now they’ve come forward with some words of wisdom and a mission to prevent this from happening to other families.
“A child under 30 pounds can drown in 30 seconds. And I just keep counting to 30 in my head.” Morgan said, her voice breaking. “That was all I needed.”
“It’s unbelievable quick, it’s unbelievable sneaky,” Bode said. “You’d think it’d be some weird circumstance or some strange thing. And it’s not. It just happens in the blink of an eye.”
“They’re speaking out at the depths of their grief and they’re doing it because they want to get the word out to other parents,” said Savannah Guthrie, who interviewed the grieving parents.
“They are very careful parents. We all think, ‘Oh, but it wouldn’t happen to me,’ or, ‘Here’s the reason it wouldn’t happen to me.’ They are an example of, it could happen to everyone. And we need to change our thinking around this.”
Morgan warned viewers to be incredibly careful when visiting someone else’s home because you never know what dangers might be lurking. “Survey the home to see if it’s a safe place for your child to be,” she said.
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