Pictured are members of the Myers family, who have been undertaking efforts to share their daughter Cora’s near-fatal drowning experience. The Myers hope sharing their experience will help other families avoid such an event. Submitted photo

June 13 started out as a normal day for the Myers family, but fate would not allow it to continue that way.

The Myers family, residents of Jamestown, had been house-sitting for a friend; the house was equipped with a pool, a highlight of their stay.

Colin and Sarah Myers were watching their children play in the driveway, enjoying the last few temperate hours of the day. However, the summer fun they had experienced quickly turned into panic as they realized their daughter, 3-year-old Cora, was nowhere to be found.

“That day we had been playing in the driveway riding scooters … and Cora went missing,” Sarah Myers said. “After a few minutes of us not seeing, my husband, Colin, asked ‘Where is Cora?’ That is when Colin and our middle daughter went looking for her and they found her lifeless at the bottom of the pool.”

Myers called 911 as Colin began performing CPR on little Cora. She said each family member had a role in the rescue; Avery, their middle child, had helped look for Cora, while Brea made efforts to pray for her sister’s well-being.

“What happened to Cora was a tragic accident — one I hope you personally never have to experience,” Myers said. “However, our family has had a wake-up call that has helped us get our priorities straight. We wake up every day so very thankful for the merciful, faithful God that we serve. Our daughters are so very strong. We tell them all the time we are a team and we work together. That day the accident happened, we wouldn’t have gotten through it if we weren’t all team players and did our parts.”

During the call to 911, the dispatcher asked if Cora had a pulse. Myers checked, but she could not find one. After Colin performed CPR for some time, Cora was able to vomit and was able to breathe. Emergency personnel arrived, including police officers and members of the Busti Fire Department.

Myers said her family is incredibly thankful to these individuals for their help during this time. Cora ended up being transported by ambulance to a field, where they were met by a helicopter. Afterward, she was brought to the hospital, where she was stabilized and treated.

Despite the initial trauma of the situation, Myers said Cora has not experienced any ongoing impact from the experience.

“She is a complete miracle,” she said. “We had many doctors tell us what a miracle she is and tell us that this is not a likely outcome. (This) is not the way most drowning cases end. Cora has no lasting side effects. A big thing our family is so very thankful for is that Cora has absolutely no fear of being in water or being around water.”

According to the statistics, Cora’s story is a unique occurrence. The CDC reports that more children from age 1 to 4 years old died from drowning than any other cause, aside from birth defects. From ages 1 to 14, the CDC reports drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death, following only motor vehicle crashes.

While drowning is a for children while swimming, drowning can happen at any time, according to the CDC. Some factors that make drowning more likely include being unable to swim, ineffective barriers around bodies of water or pools, location and lack of life jackets.

After the close brush with tragedy, the Myers’ urged others in the community to be cautious around water with their young children. Also, she stressed the importance of having a strong family bond.

“I would love to encourage those in the community to always talk with your kids, have a great relationship with them, and communicate with them,” she said. “Know their personalities and make sure you keep watching always. When, and if, a tragedy occurs you’ll have that relationship built with them, (with) trust and love that will help bring you to the other side. Also, make sure you have a good local church to attend and build a relationship with God because with him nothing is impossible.”

In an effort to spread awareness of water safety, the Myers family created a video they shared on YouTube. Myers said the video has been a source of inspriation throughout the process.

“We have received so many encouraging messages that have said what a miracle Cora is,” Myers said. “We have heard others’ stories, (and) we have heard of many people whom we do not know who have prayed for Cora and our family. Our hope in making that video was to spread hope and faith and to encourage those that may have young children to be vigilant around water.”

To view the video, visit YouTube and search for “Cora’s Drowning Experience.”