Photo: Morgan Miller/Instagram; Inset: Stephen J. Cohen/WireImage
Morgan Millerhas a message for families with little ones.
The wife of Olympic alpine skierBode Milleropened up on Instagram Friday, sharinga pair of photosof her 19-month-old daughterEmeline Grierand using the post to spread awareness about water safety following thelittle girl’s tragic drowning incident.
“I often find myself wanting to reach into videos and pictures and just pull you out,” Morgan wrote. “Searching for ways to bring you back so our family is whole again. So our hearts are whole again. We miss you so much, my love.”
“Parents, Grandparents, Siblings, Aunts and Uncles, EVERYONE….Please don’t rely on the visual stimulant of water to create your awareness,” she continued. “Understand that almost 70%of drownings occur when your childrenare not expected to be near the water. When you think they are in the playroom or on the sofa watching tv.”
“Always be aware of water and place as many barriers between your child and those bodies of water as possible (locks, door alarms, pool fences). None of us are immune tothis devastatingly life changing statistic. It can happen so fast and forever change your world,” Morgan advised, adding the hashtags “#drowningprevention,” “#helpspreadawareness,” “#knowledgeispower” and “#stopdrowningnow.”
RELATED VIDEO: Bode Miller’s Wife Morgan Describes Finding Daughter in the Pool: “Guilt Is the Most Difficult”
On June 9, Emeline drowned in a pool around 6:30 p.m. in Coto de Caza, California.
While Bodewas not present when the accidental drowning took place, his wife was just steps away inside of the home when their daughter went “missing for just a short amount of time.”
Earlier this week, Morgan — who isexpecting her third childwith Bode, 40 — toldTodayof the guilt she still felt after Emeline’s death, “I hope and pray and beg that it gets easier.”
She andNicole Hughes, who lost her 3-year-old son Levi to a drowning incident the same day Emeline died, united onTodaytodiscuss their tragic lossesin an emotional interview withSavannah Guthriethat aired Tuesday.
“It is 100 percent preventable,” Morgan said of drowning. “You need to think of water completely differently. We’re sitting here and I’m looking outside at my pool and that is a lion. That is a kidnapper. That is something that cantake my child in 30 seconds. And the moment those 30 seconds are up, the likelihood of you getting your child back is pretty close to zero.”
She and Hughes hope to launch a campaign with theAmerican Academy of Pediatricsthat would help parents learn where and when drowning occurs, while urging doctors to make water safety conversations to be part of every pediatric checkup.
source: people.com
