Kelsey was a very independent, spirited baby and toddler. She was a happy baby who nursed until she was 10 months old. She walked when she was 11 months old, potty trained herself at 12 months and was already showing promise in athletics and especially dance by 4 years of age.

She had a smile and laugh that was contagious. Everyone who knew Kelsey loved her.

As she grew up, Kelsey was involved in soccer and T-ball. She excelled in baseball for one year then went to softball. Also from the age of 3 on, she danced with a professional dance company. She had the moves and the grooves!!

Her oldest brother, Shane, adored his sister. They fought like cats and dogs, but he was proud of her. And her youngest brother, Dakota, looked up to her. Kelsey protected him and mothered him. We all knew we could count on our girl.

Her freckles, humor, and presence lit up a room. She never went unnoticed. Kelsey enjoyed babies, animals, sports, dance, her family and her friends.

The doctor estimated her height to be 5’8" and weight to be 120 lbs. at age 20. He wrote it in her baby book. He said she’d be leggy and tall.

Kelsey was a delight! Very well liked, opinionated, honest, responsible, stubborn, strong and talented. She did more than embrace life, she met it head on.

Kelsey loved to swim, she was an excellent swimmer and diver. Every summer we'd get a summer pass at Sherwood Baptist Recreational Center. She’d swim every day all day if I’d let her.

On September 3, 1998, Kelsey was begging to go swimming. It was around 5:30 p.m. and after school. She had just started her 6th grade year. She was 11 years old. We had plans to go out of town on a traditional Labor Day trip, and I kept telling her "no" we were too busy. Her best friends were calling and already at the pool. Kelsey was following me around the kitchen floor on her knees begging me "Please let me go," she was saying. Finally at 6:20 p.m. she wore me down. "Get your suit on", I said. She responded with "It’s already on!" So, Kelsey, Dakota, and I headed right to the pool. She got there at 6:30 p.m. As Dakota and Kelsey climbed out of the truck, I told her, "I’ll be right back, I am going to change clothes and get Shane for karate. You have less than 30 minutes, watch your brother and be careful," I yelled. Kelsey looked back, walking off with her best friends. "OK, Mom, I love you," she yelled back with a wave.

I got home less than 8 minutes away and started to change clothes when the phone rang. I answered and heard, "Katie, there’s been an accident, Kelsey is stuck in a drain". I hung up the phone and yelled for my best friend. She knew by the look on my face something was terribly wrong.

How we got back to the pool I don’t know. We literally flew. It was about 6:50 p.m. or so. I prayed the entire way "Please God, not Kelsey". We arrived back at the pool to police, 3 fire trucks, and 2 ambulances. I ran in and saw 8 to 10 firefighters in the lap pool gathered around the center of the pool. The look on those men s and women’s faces were sheer hopelessness, and helplessness. Kelsey’s leg had gotten sucked into a 6 inch pipe and she had been trapped under water since about 6:40 p.m. and they could not budge her. They were trying everything to get her out, or get her air but to no avail. I knew that nothing good was going to come of this. She had been trapped under water too long. Finally 35 minutes into this, they got her free. I still see that moment when they pulled her out of the pool. She was so blue and lifeless.

It seemed like my life and world was in slow motion. I could not believe it, my precious girl was in terrible, tragic trouble. The firefighters and paramedics started working on Kelsey as they whisked her away to the nearest hospital. I rode with my youngest son Dakota in a fire captain’s car. No one talked; all we did was pray. The firefighter who was driving just held my hand. When we arrived at the hospital, the doctors and nurses were very busy with Kelsey. She had a faint pulse and heartbeat but severe damage had been done. After about one hour, I got to talk to the doctor. He said they had stabilized her enough to take her to Children’s Mercy Hospital. He said she had suffered severe brain damage due to lack of oxygen as a result of being trapped under water for over 30 minutes. She was on complete life support. The doctor said I could see her before they took her to the other hospital.

When we got to Children’s Mercy it took about 2 hours for the specialists to all assess Kelsey and run all the tests, scans, and xrays. The main specialist came in and told me Kelsey was dependent on life support. She was being kept alive by modern medicine and machines. She had critical brain damage, and would probably not make it through the night. They said. Kelsey died in that pool within the first few minutes. She was not responding to any stimulus of any kind. Obviously, there was no good news or reason to hope.

I spent the next day and a half holding my beautiful girl, talking to her and touching her. I washed her hair and tried to clean her up. I talked about lost dreams and old memories. Saturday, September 5, 1998, at 3:30 p.m. Kelsey died. My baby was gone. Taken from me and others who adored her. She was 11 years old. She died, doing something she loved, swimming in a pool we trusted. She was killed in that pool. A senseless tragic happening that could have been easily avoided.

Kelsey and her two friends were diving for coins and a ball in the "lap pool". Kelsey’s coin and ball fell through a grate covering the drain. Kelsey easily removed the grate to retrieve the coin and when she couldn’t reach the ball, she told her friends she would get it with her foot. Her best friend was watching her through her new goggles. Kelsey went under water and reached into the drain with her foot and was immediately sucked into the drain by a much too powerful pump. Kelsey was sucked in up to her crotch. My athletic, spirited girl tried to swim away and was reaching for her friend. She tried frantically to free herself and her friends tried to pull her out, but quickly saw they could not help her. They screamed for help, but no one could budge her. Kelsey was killed due to two reasons. One, a grate covering a drain should have been bolted down. Had she not been able to remove the grate my Kelsey would probably still be with me. Secondly, she was sucked into a drain by a pump that was entirely too powerful. These pumps should not have this kind of power to pull in human bodies. You should be able to turn off the pump and reverse the flow to push out whatever is in it. The pump that sucked Kelsey in was turned off after she was pulled in, but it did not have a reverse flow factor. The weight of 80,000 gallons of water and a vacuum effect held her in that 6 inch pipe and under water.

Kelsey was an 11 year old child who was doing what any child would do. She was curious and thought of no danger in what she was doing. Anybody who has worked around pools knows that grates and drains are of interest to children.

I, as Kelsey’s mom, feel I have to do something to stop this from happening to any other family. I will fight to make it mandatory nationwide that grates are bolted down and devices like "Vac-Alert" are in place and being used. I do not want any other parent or child to go through this kind of pain, suffering, and heartache.

I’m without my beautiful, funny girl. I miss Kelsey very much. She will live in my heart forever.

Until I can get legislation in place, and get new pool requirements mandatory, I am asking all parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins to talk about what happened to Kelsey. To warn their family and children to stay away from grates and drains in pools.

I’m asking these same people to write their congressmen, senators, state representatives, mayors and others and demand that they support any legislation relating to the bolting down of grates and use of devices such as "Vac-Alert".

All parents should ask any staff or personnel of any pool their child may swim in the following questions:" Are your grates bolted down? Do you use a "Vac-Alert" device on your pump, and where are your shut offs to your pump.

All staff of pools (local, community, private, motels, etc.) need to know the dangers of the grates, drains and pumps and keep children away from them.

Signs should be posted around pools warning of these dangers also.