director of public policy for the Washington D.C.-based Safe Kids Worldwide.

Nancy, for one, was appalled that entrapment prevention was not a greater priority. In her personal research, she had come across guidelines nearly 30 years old and thought, "If this is the state-of-the-art message about entrapment, then something is falling through the cracks, and one of those things that fell through the cracks is Graeme."

So Nancy decided to contact the national Safe Kids group and tell her story. It was never part of her plan, simply "the next right thing to do," she says.

"Once we heard her story, it was tough not to pay attention,:' Korn says. "There's something particularly horrific about death by entrapment. Safe Kids spends a lot of time investigating, researching and trying to prevent children's deaths. Her story was one of the most disturbing we've ever heard."

Thanks in large part to Nancy's urging, Safe Kids has decided to focus its 2006 National Safe Kids Week on pool safety. A large component will be devoted to entrapment. Nancy and her ex-father-in-law James Baker will speak at the kick-off event in May.

For Korn, it's a rare sight to see a parent as committed as Nancy. "What we've asked of Nancy requires her to think about Graeme even more. She has to relive it every single day and, naturally, she gets emotional about it," he says. "But from the moment she walked into our office, I knew we were meeting a woman who had the ability to make a difference.

"We've worked with parent advocates many times before," Korn adds. "The process for change is so slow, cumbersome and some- times difficult, that many give up or, at the least, lose their energy."

The hope
Despite her involvement with Safe Kids and continuing visits to retail stores, Nancy felt she was getting nowhere. Then, in late 2004, she read about a hair entrapment in California and became distressed.

"I think the largest shortcoming of the industry is argument. I don't understand why you argue against safety measures," she says. "That's the only reason that I think you need any kind of government involvement at all. There's so much argument and no consensus. In the meantime, it's costing us. It's already cost me."

Nancy began to circulate Capitol Hill looking for help. She found an ally in U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. As a Florida state legislator in the late '90s, Wasserman

Schultz successfully lobbied for the Preston de Ibern/McKenzie Merriam Residential Swimming Pool Act, which required new poo1 or hot tub owners in Florida to install one of four safety barriers.

Now, as a member of Q Wasserman Schultz is continuing her work with pool safety. She is currently sponsoring

a bill that would offer financial incentives to states that adopt stricter pool safety measures. (See sidebar "Putting the law to work.") The legislation describes three safety measures to prevent drowning and entrapment:

"I'm certainly hopeful," Wasserman Schultz says. "When a member is faced with the testimony of someone like Nancy, it's hard to look that parent in the eye and say 'no.' When you educate members of Congress or of a legislative body about the dire problem you're trying to correct... I've almost never had a member vote 'no.'"

Unveiled at the National Drowning Symposium in January, the legislation has received support from Safe Kids. "This year, we'll have a public policy component to Safe Kids Week, so our hope is to gain support and compel people to get on the same page regarding safety measures," Nancy says. "The truth is, .I'm never going to make it my business to understand what any of these codes are. I'm going to speak about entrapment and make it real to people."

Nancy knows she has an uphill battle. She's been told the numbers are too low to make this problem worth the attention of Congress. Yet she is determined to succeed, with or with- out the aid of the pool and spa industry.

For its part, the industry's national trade association asserts that it is on Nancy's side. The group's administration says it is eager