PERRYSBURG, Ohio — May 28, 2021 will always be a tough day for Michelle Fox and her family. It's the day her 2-year-old daughter drowned in their family's backyard pond. And while Fox is living every parent's worst nightmare, she is on a mission to make sure no child ever drowns again.
After her daughter passed away, Fox learned about ISR swim lessons which teach babies as young as 6 months old how to rescue themselves. Since September, 2021, the entire Fox family has been busy raising money for local families to take these lessons.
"We really want to get into more drowning prevention and awareness, drowning is the No. 1 cause of death in children ages 1-5" Fox said.
One-year-old Vin Guerrero is currently taking ISR swim lessons thanks to a scholarship set up through the Because of Logan foundation. Fox and her family set up the organization last fall. Vin’s mom Shelby believes the lessons will give her peace of mind for allowing her child to be near the water.
"It will give me like a more peace of mind like he knows what to do if it were to happen and how to put on his back even if at the end of this he’ll learn to do it when he’s fully clothed!" Guerroro said.
ISR instructor Annette Lazenby is currently teaching Vin. Lazenby has had a number of her students save themselves in these situations.
"I have several of my students, I’ll get emails or texts saying that they fell in the water and all have self rescued" Lazenby said.
The Because of Logan foundation has connected both local families and families across the country to ISR scholarships. Two swimmers are taking lessons here in northwest Ohio, along with others in Tennessee, Texas and Florida. Many of the scholarship recipients are military families and families that would not have access to these lifesaving lessons, if it weren’t for financial help.
"For me, the benefit is learning the survival skills and not just learning how to float around in the water," said Guerrero.
Michelle added that while nothing will replace the love she has for her daughter Logan, it's wonderful seeing how many people are living out her mission.
"It's pretty incredible, we’re really excited to see what else is going to come up for Because of Logan! There’s a ton of stuff we can do to help prevent these things. They are prevention methods, so that doesn’t mean that it’s still not gonna happen but we can create layers of protection and keep them safe especially because swim season is coming up really soon" said Fox.
Michelle also recently announced she is expecting another child. For information on how to donate to Because of Logan, or apply for ISR scholarships, click here.