- Brittney McWhite’s two children drowned in a pool and were taken off life support
- London Marie, 11, and Wadale, 14, were playing Marco Polo at a family party.
A Philadelphia mother’s two children were taken off life support Sunday after they tragically drowned in a pool over Memorial Day weekend.
As Brittney McWhite prepares to say goodbye to London Marie, 11, and Wadale, 14, this week, she recounted the horrific series of events that led to their untimely deaths.
“They weren’t there for more than three or four minutes,” McWhite said. FOX 29 Philadelphia. ‘They called them by their names… and when they jumped in, they were at the bottom of the pool.
The family was at a party in Gloucester, a New Jersey suburb outside Philadelphia, where London Marie and Wadale decided to play a game of Marco Polo.
McWhite, who has four other children, said London Marie and Wadale knew how to swim, so he left them unattended while he helped prepare food inside.
Wadale, second from left in the photo, and London Marie, were taken off life support Sunday after drowning in a pool over Memorial Day weekend.
Brittney McWhite, who has four other children, said she knows her children “are at peace, it’s very devastating.”
When he came out, he didn’t see his two children when he looked for them.
It was then that he discovered that the brothers were in trouble.
Although they were quickly pulled from the bottom of the pool, the damage was too great.
As summer begins, he issued a stern warning to other parents who might take their children to cool off in a pool, saying drownings like these could occur after being in the water for just “a minute.”
‘Always have a pair of eyes. Prevent your children from playing. “Make sure the pool is safe,” she said.
‘If it doesn’t seem right, don’t do it. Because once you lose your child, it’s hard. It’s really hard to digest.
For the past week, the children have been hooked up to artificial respiration machines to keep them alive. On Sunday, McWhite and the children’s father were clear that nothing was going to change.
McWhite issued a stern warning to other parents thinking about taking their kids to a pool to cool off during the summer: “Always have a pair of eyes… If it doesn’t look good, don’t do it.” Because once you lose your child, it’s hard.’
For the past week, the children have been hooked up to artificial respiration machines to keep them alive. On Sunday, McWhite and the children’s father were clear that nothing was going to change.
“Keeping my son hooked up to a machine for the rest of his life is not ideally what any parent should want for their children, which is why today Dad and I decided to end life support,” McWhite said.
London Marie would have turned 12 next week, while Wadale would have graduated from eighth grade.
McWhite said the two were total opposites and yet they couldn’t live without each other.
“I know they’re at peace, it’s very devastating,” McWhite said. ‘Not losing one son but two. “I think it’s more challenging because you can’t take it, but you have to keep going.”
To prevent drowning, the CDC recommends a number of things, including fencing pools, supervising nearby children, and learning CPR in case the worst happens.