The Day We Witnessed A Miracle... We Will Never Be The Same

{It took me a very long time to even start to write this post.  It was hard to start it and get through it.  It's not exactly perfect and is probably missing parts too.  It's long and detailed in some parts and short and vague in others.  I want to get this post out before the year ends so we can start 2012 with a clean slate.  Please bare with me the length of this post as I wanted to get it all out in order for my heart to heal.  Even as I write this little note up here, I cannot bring myself to re-read the body of this topic, it's just too hard.  Bless you if you read the entire thing and the follow up links.  I have had readers click on these links before and leave non-related comments which tears at my heart.}


I share this story because it may help at least one person or reach out to at least one person who needs to hear it.  I believe God allows us these events so we can help others....


June 2, 2011...


It was the first weekend of summer vacation.  My oldest daughter, Ashley invited us to her community pool by her home to spend the day together.  I usually decline because I don't like the cold water of the pool or the beach.  Ashley is the one who has taken them to the beach a few times.  Since we went to a pool party 3 months prior for my granddaughter's first birthday and we had fun, I agreed to doing a pool day.  My husband had to work so it was just me and the 3 little girls.


I packed our bags, drinks, snacks, pack-n-play for baby along with her toys to keep her busy.  When we got to the pool I immediately set up the pack-n-play for Hayden so she would have a safe space to play while everyone was swimming.  I sat beside her to keep her company.

It was a beautiful day.  I even took one of those pictures that Ashley and my other daughter, Saphire take when they go to the pool.  The one where you are lounging with your feet crossed with the view of the open pool straight ahead.

Ashley gathered up the kids to go into the pool

my nephew AJ (14y), my neice Za (9y) both are able to swimmy daughter Aleshanee (almost 6y), my daughter Dakota (3y), and my granddaughter Liyah (2y) they cannot swim
AJ and Za were in the pool having fun, swimming, and taking turns holding on and swimming around with the little ones who could not swim while they were sitting in their infant floaters.
I took Hayden in for a while and Ashley and I also took turns pushing the ones who could not swim around while they sat in their floaters.

Eventually I had to get out of the pool because I got really nauseous.  For years now, the chlorine from the pool and the movement of the water on the surface of the pool causes me to get really sick.  I told Ashley I had to get out cause I was feeling sick.  I took Hayden out.  All the kids were okay.  Dakota, Aleshanee, and Aaliyah were all standing on the steps of the pool while Ashley was standing in front of them at the bottom step, this is in the shallow area.
I walked away to the pavilion area where we were sitting, oh I don't know... 50-100 feet away?  I dried up Hayden, changed her clothes and put her into the pack-n-play.  She was sitting nicely playing with her toys and lying down quietly.  I kept watch of Ashley and the kids while I took pictures of Hayden.

Shortly after, Ashley asked what time it was and said we needed to start packing up in a few minutes to leave.  She and her husband needed to be somewhere that night.
In the meantime we found out that one of the kids did not bring extra clothes.  Ashley and I were asking them why and were going back and forth with them about it.  

Ashley told the kids we were leaving.everyone got out of the poolgrabbed their towelsgrabbed the floaterswalked over to meput their stuff down and started drying off to go home
Ashley said "where's Dakota?"I said "I don't know, what do you mean where's Dakota?"Za said "I think she went to the bathroom"
Ashley immediately went straight to the pool because something inside told her toI watched as she walked over there not thinking of anything reallyas soon as Ashley got walked up to the poolshe yelled "OH MY GOD!!!" and jumped inMy heart stoppedI went over there as she pulled her out of the pool completely blueher eyes were open but glassydistant not connecting with usshe was not movingshe was not breathingAll I could do was stand there while Ashley had her in her armsshe kept telling her to wake up"please koda wake up, wake up!!!!"then she started to prayfervently with everything she had she was crying out to GodI could not believe what I was seeing.I felt numbI felt the sudden urge come over me that she was dead and that she would never come back to usI screamed at Ashley "HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE HER!!! YOU CAN"T JUST LEAVE HER!!!OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ASHLEY!!!! WHY DID YOU LEAVE HER ALONE??!!!!                             that's all I could do, I just kept repeating myselfAshley looked at me and yelled to CALL 911!!!  she kept repeating it to meI ran to get my phone and no matter how many times I tried I could not get my phone to work.I just stood there and stared at the phone not knowing what I was supposed to doAcross the way a lady yelled out to us asking if she was breathing and respondingI looked over at her and saw she was on the phone and had already called 911I was in shockI did not think to call 911Prayer did not even cross my mindI was numbthe only thing in my mind was that she was dead"I lost my baby, she's gone, my baby is dead!!!!"at that momentafter Ashley had started CPR on herDakota started coughingwater started to drain outshe was foaming at the mouthstill unresponsiveI grabbed her from Ashleywalked over to the pavilionsat on the chair with DakotaI just rocked hertelling her how sorry I was that this happened to herI kept repeating to her that it was okaythe whole time I was still cryingshe was not responding to meher eyes were glassy like she wasn't thereshe started vomiting a lot over and over againall over meI just kept holding her tight rocking her in my lapthe whole time this was going on from the minute she started coughing up water I tried to call my husbandno answerno answerno answertextingno answerover and overthe paramedics arrived sirens blaringthey had me put her down on the pavilion table and asked lots of questions which we could not answerher oxygen level was not great but it was okaybecause she was unattended when she drownedthey had to strap her to the long board and put on a neck brace because they have to assume she fell and may have hit her head just to be safe
my niece came up to me and told me she was taking Aleshanee over to the bushes near by to pray for Dakota, they were freaking out.  Ashley went over with them and was praying with them.
FINALLY my husband called me backI told him "YOU NEED TO COME RIGHT NOW""DAKOTA DROWNED"He said 'WHAT???!!!!"I told him Ashley revived her, the paramedics were here and they are taking her to the hospitalbecause of the type of job he has, he cannot just leave.he needs to be replaced which takes timeI told him what happenedhe was angry"SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE BEEN WATCHING HER, WHY WERE YOU GUYS NOT WATCHING HER!!"
I finally called my momI told her the same thing "Dakota drowned"I told her what happened and asked her to call everyone else
When she called my son he had just come home from workshe told him "Dakota drowned"but did not tell him that she was stable and revivedhe ran back into the car and drove as fast as he could to the hospital which is far from where he liveshe was crying and driving thinking she was dead
In the ambulance they couldn't get her vein for an IVit took a long time, so much so that the guy had to do it standing up while the ambulance was rushing through trafficDakota was not respondingI just kept talking to herholding and rubbing her face and handshalf way to the hospital she started nodding her head to answer meI kept talking to her and telling her how great she was doingshe was still not connecting to usI just kept talkingonce we got to the hospital a swarm of emergency team swept her awayI stood outside the door numbthey asked me to come in and told me it was okay to stand up by her headit was like on tv or the movies when they had to ask me if they could cut her swim suit offI didn't care about it and told them of coarse, she won't be needing it because we're never going swimming again!they checked her vitalsbrought in a portable xray machine to check her lungsthe lab tech came in to draw her bloodshe was just laying there with glassy eyes and not responding to anyoneI remember feeling so relieved that she was alive, awake, and in the hospital where they were taking great care of herMy son came firsthe was so angrywhen my mom called him, she told him "Dakota drowned"he had just got home from work so he got right back in his car and had a hard time driving to the hospitalhe thought she was deadhe was so relieved to see her awake when he arrived in the ERMy husband came shortly afterhe was so angrythoughts were swirling in his head about how this could happenIt was an accident, I kept telling himIt all happened so fastEventually test results starting coming back and we found out thatDakota had really low PH levels due to her swallowing too much water and needed to be kept overnight for observation and for some IV medication to balance her levels outThere was concern for infection which, thankfully never happenedSeveral hours after arriving at the ERDakota finally started talking and interacting with usnot totally back to herself but the strangest thing happened.She started talking and expressing herself like she has never done beforeIt was as if something unlocked in her brain when she was unconscious

She was all of a sudden such a smart little ladytalking in ways we have never heard beforeNot only did I witness a miracle at the pool when she was revived,I feel like at that moment when she opened up,was another miracle.Later that night family started showing up at  the hospitalWhen Ashley arrived with the little girlsDakota would not look at herIt's like she knew something happened with AshleyFor days she would not talk to her and she would shut down and look down when we mentioned Ashley's name, or if we saw Ashley in personThe day Dakota was discharged from the hospital

My husband found this bracelet and had Dakota choose the color she wanted to give to Ashley.  Just so happens she picked the color blue, like water.  It was very weird when we thought about it later.

Dakota gave it to Ashley when they picked us up to go home but would not look at herIt wasn't till a few days later when my older kids came to visit Dakota that she finally opened up to all of them, especially Ashley.

To continue, please read more in these links below.coming back to usblessing in disguise
Today, Dakota is doing fine.

 She is still scared to go into the water and does still talk about this day.  She asks questions about different things, about God, about who was there, and tries to put pieces together... then she just drops it.  She knows and is constantly reminded that God has bigger things in store for her.  Although she was alone physically in the pool for that short time on that day... Ashley reminded us that God was with her the entire time.  Everything happens for a reason.  God and his angels are at work.  HE works for the GOOD in ALL things.  This has taught me not to take anything for granted.  Events like this force us to STOP... gather as a family in time of need and brings us together to be united.

I end this year knowing this was my greatest lesson and greatest blessing.Xoxo, Salena s

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