Waterworks Aquatics works with Family to Promote Water Safety
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com) — A local family whose young son drowned in the family pool in 2013 is on a crusade to prevent the same tragedy for others.
On Tuesday, the Gomez’s 6-month-old son Vladimir had his first swimming lesson at Waterworks Aquatics in Huntington Beach.
The Garden Grove baby’s parents have been counting down the days for the baby to be properly instructed as the family lost their son Maxi, who had slipped out the back door of their home and drowned Oct. 20, 2013.
Since Vladimir’s birth, the Gomez’s have secured their home with alarms and put in a pool fence.
“First was the swimming lessons and keeping the pool safe and keeping the gates locked and things like that. All that stuff runs through our head since the day he was born because it’s just that fear that it can happen,” Max Gomez, the father, said.
Since Maxi’s death, the Gomez family has struggled with guilt. They have recently channeled that heartache to help others who can’t afford swim lessons.
Waterworks Aquatics heard about Maxi and donated lessons for Vladimir.
“It’s too late for Maxi and we feel bad about it but the thing that comforts us right now is helping other people. We don’t want any parent to feel the way we feel every day and that’s our motivation,” Gomez said.
The foundation Maxi’s Gift is raising money for scholarships for children who need to learn how to swim. For more information on Maxi's Gift, please visit here.