OCEANSIDE (KGTV) — There are photos all over the Blanc family’s home. They serve as memories of one family member lost too soon.
“One of my older children said, ‘Where’s Kendall?’ I said ‘She’s with Dad,’ and Dad said ‘She’s not with me,'” Katrina Blanc told ABC 10News.
Four years ago, Katrina's 2-year-old daughter Kendall snuck out of sight to swim in their backyard pool. In a matter of minutes, she drowned.
“My sister-in-law found her, and we pulled her out of the pool and instantly started CPR on her,” Katrina said.
They rushed Kendall to a nearby hospital, but doctors couldn't revive her.
“We can’t go back and we can’t change it with her. But we can with other families,” Katrina said.
Katrina later found out that she wasn't alone. According to Parents Preventing Childhood Drowning, drowning is the number one cause of accidental death in children between the ages of 1 and 4.
“This is something we can do together, something we can change,” she said
In 2022, the Blanc family started a nonprofit called the Kendall Bug Mission to raise awareness around childhood drownings.
“Make sure you have a pool fence. That it contains alarms and a self-latching mechanism," she said.
Katrina also said at least one person at home should be CPR certified, and all toddlers should learn how to swim.
She is now an infant swimming instructor and gives lessons through her nonprofit, including to her most recent child, Jocelyn.
