When Callum was 9 he went on his first family holiday to Majorca. Before the holiday the only swimming lessons he had received were those he attended with school, which only happened during one school term. Callum had also only ever been in the pool while being accompanied due to being diagnosed with epilepsy.
On the first day of the holiday Callum was so excited to try out the swimming pool and water slides, so his dad took him to the pool ahead of the rest of the family.
Shortly after Leanne, Callum’s Mum, headed over to the pool but couldn’t see Callum but could see his dad looking for him. He explained that Callum had ran ahead and he couldn’t find him. Moments later, screaming and shouting alerted them to every parents worst nightmare. Callum had unfortunately been found at the bottom of the 5ft deep pool by two young boys snorkelling.
Callum was pulled out of the pool unconscious and a lifeguard began CPR until the ambulance came and rushed them to the hospital.
Callum had been starved of oxygen for 20-25 minutes and was put in an induced coma for 10 days. This is when the family were told by a doctor in Majorca the devastating news that Callum would probably never walk or talk again.
After 10 days in the Majorcan hospital Callum and his mum were flown back to Manchester Airport by air ambulance and he was admitted to Manchester Children’s Hospital, where they brought him out of his coma.
Callum spent 3 months in hospital where to everyone’s relief they got him eating, walking, and talking again but unfortunately there were some long standing effects of brain damage.
4 years on and 13 year old Callum is back to his usual self and doctors are looking to take him off his epilepsy medication.
Callum is now having 1-2-1 swimming lessons with Debbie at Worsley Leisure centre, who has helped him to get over his fear of the water and is now swimming on his back, improving in every lessons. He is loving swimming again and is now looking forward to going on another holiday with his family.
Callum’s mum has asked us to share his story to help show how important swimming lessons are.
Leanne said:
‘We want to try and help stop what happened to Callum happening to other children. We would not want any other parent to go through what our family had to go through. Swimming is a life saving skill and I would urge all parents and carers to look at enrolling their children onto swimming lessons beyond what they receive from school.’
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