>>> WELCOME BACK. THIS MORNING WE ARE HEARING FROM
TWO MOTHERS ON A MISSION.
EACH FUELED BY PERSONAL
TRAGEDIES.
TRAGEDIES. >> YESTERDAY WE HEARD FROM
OLYMPIC SKIER BODE MILLER AND
HIS WIFE MORGAN AND THEY WERE
TALKING FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT
THEIR DAUGHTER EMMY’S TRAGIC
DROWNING DEATH.
DROWNING DEATH. IN THE MIDST OF THEIR GRIEF THEY
FORMED A FRIENDSHIP WITH A
MOTHER THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY.
SHE LIVES IN EASTERN TENNESSEE
AND UNFORTUNATELY UNDERSTANDS
THEIR PAIN ALL TOO WELL.
>> MORGAN MILLER AND NICOLE
HUGHES ARE TWO MOTHERS WHO
UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER’S
UNRELENTING PAIN.
UNRELENTING PAIN. >> SPEAKING TO A MOTHER WHO HAS
LOST A CHILD, YOU DON’T NEED TO
EXPLAIN IT.
EXPLAIN IT. >> PARTICULARLY FOR US, WITH OUR
SITUATIONS BEING SO SIMILAR.
>> NICOLE, CAN YOU SHARE AS MUCH
OR AS LITTLE AS YOU WANT TO
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO LEVI.
>> EVERY SINGLE YEAR WE GO TO
THE SAME BEACH IN FORT MORGAN,
ALABAMA.
ALABAMA. WE LOOK FORWARD TO IT ALL YEAR.
SIX FAMILIES, 17 KIDS.
ON JUNE 10th, THAT MORNING, THAT
ENTIRE DAY I TOOK WATER SAFETY
VERY SERIOUSLY.
VERY SERIOUSLY. EVERY SINGLE PICTURE, EVERY
FINAL PICTURE I HAVE OF LEVI, HE
IS IN A LIFEJACKET.
>> THAT NIGHT NICOLE DRESSED HER
3-YEAR-OLD SON LEVI IN HIS
BRIGHT GREEN CRAB HUNTING SHIRT.
HE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE
EXCITED.
EXCITED. WE WALKED BACK OVER TO ONE SIDE
OF THE HOUSE.
EVERYBODY WAS IN THERE, 12
ADULTS, MOST OF THE KIDS.
WE’RE ALL JUST OVER THERE KIND
OF CLEANING UP AND WAITING FOR
IT TO GET DARK.
NO ONE WAS DRINKING.
I WASN’T ON MY PHONE.
WE WERE JUST --
I WAS WIPING UP SPAGHETTI Os.
>> LEVI ASKED FOR A SNACK AND
NICOLE GAVE HIM AN EXTRA TREAT.
>> I’M GOING TO GIVE HIM THIS
BROWNIE.
BROWNIE. I BROKE IT IN HALF.
IT WAS VERY SMALL.
PUT HALF OF IT IN HIS BOWL,
WATCHING TV WITH ALL THE KIDS,
SITTING ON THE COUCH WATCHING
TV.
TV. AND THEN I DON’T KNOW.
I HAVE RELIVED THIS, RETRACED MY
STEPS, WHAT WAS I EVEN DOING.
I DON’T KNOW.
I KNOW I PUT THE BROWNIE IN MY
MOUTH.
MOUTH. I DIDN’T SIT DOWN.
I DIDN’T HAVE A CONVERSATION
WITH ANYBODY.
WITH ANYBODY. I SAID, WELL, I’M GOING TO GO --
I ASSUMED LEVI WAS SITTING ON
THE COUCH.
THE COUCH. I KNEW MY MIDDLE DAUGHTER WAS ON
THE OTHER SIDE WITH MY OLDER
DAUGHTER, AND I WAS GOING TO GO
PUT HER CRABBING SHIRT ON HER.
I’M GOING TO DO THIS QUICKLY.
I WALKED OUT OF HEAVY DOORS AND
INTENTIONALLY, BECAUSE I ALWAYS
DID, BECAUSE I TOOK WATER SAFETY
SERIOUSLY, INTENTIONALLY LOOKED
OVER THE BALCONY AND SAW MY SON
IN HIS CRAB HUNTING SHIRT AT THE
END OF THE POOL.
>> WITHIN SECONDS NICOLE HAD
LEVI OUT OF THE WATER.
THERE WERE SIX DOCTORS IN THEIR
VACATION HOUSE, INCLUDING LEVI’S
DAD, BUT THEIR EFFORTS TO SAVE
HIM WEREN’T ENOUGH.
>> I JUST NEEDED ONE MINUTE.
I JUST NEEDED ONE MINUTE.
IF I COULD HAVE JUST HAD THAT
ONE MINUTE HE WOULD HAVE BEEN
OKAY.
OKAY. HOW DID HE EVEN GET OUT?
>> ARE YOU EATING A MINION ICE
CREAM?
CREAM? >> I WANT TO HELP YOU SHOUT IT
TO THE WORLD THAT IT REALLY JUST
TAKES A SECOND.
>> IT IS TRULY SECONDS.
I WAS STILL -- THE BROWNIE THAT
WAS IN MY MOUTH THAT I SPLIT
WITH LEVI, I WAS STILL NOT
FINISHED EATING IT WHEN I JUMPED
IN THE WATER TO GET HIM.
THAT IS HOW QUICKLY HE GOT AWAY
FROM US AND HOW QUICKLY HE
DROWNED.
DROWNED. >> THAT SAME DAY JUNE 10th THAT
LITTLE LEVI HUGHES DROWNED
ACROSS THE COUNTRY EMMY MILLER
LOST HER LIFE AS WELL.
>> TOGETHER YOU’VE BEEN ABLE TO
HARNESS THIS ENERGY TO HELP
OTHERS, WHICH I THINK IS
EXTRAORDINARY IN AND OF ITSELF.
WHERE DOES THE WORK NEED TO BE
DONE?
DONE? ON THE ONE HAND EVERYONE KNOWS
THAT WATER CAN BE DANGEROUS.
ON THE OTHER HAND NOBODY SEEMS
TO TAKE IT AS SERIOUSLY AS IT
NEEDS TO BE TAKEN.
>> IT’S THE INTENSITY BEHIND THE
CONVERSATION.
CONVERSATION. IT IS 100% PREVENTIBLE.
>> MORGAN AND NICOLE ARE HOPING
TO WORK WITH AMERICAN ACADEMY OF
PEDIATRICS TO LAUNCH A CAMPAIGN
TO INCREASE AWARENESS ABOUT WHEN
AND HOW DROWNING OCCURS.
>> ONE WEEK AFTER WE LOST LEVI,
MY HUSBAND AND I WERE SITTING
OUTSIDE.
OUTSIDE. HE’S ACTUALLY THE ONE WHO FOUBDS
THE STATISTICS ON CDC.
>> BOTH WANT WATER SAFETY TO BE
PART OF ALL PEDIATRIC CHECKUPS.
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS
TELLS NBC NEWS THEY WELCOME THE
OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE WITH
FAMILIES ON A NATIONAL DROWNING
PREVENTION PROJECT
PREVENTION PROJECT I GUESS YOU COULD SAY IT’S MAMA
FUEL, MAMA FIRE TO PUSH IT
FORWARD.
FORWARD. >> TWO MOMS ON A MISSION.
>> TWO MOMS ON A MISSION.
>>> EACH MOMENT THEY BOTH SAY IS
A CHOICE TO MOVE FORWARD DOING
THEIR BEST TO CARE FOR THEIR
FAMILIES, HONOR THE BABIES THEY
LOST, AND NOW LOOK OUT FOR ONE
ANOTHER.
ANOTHER. >> WE ARE SISTERS ON A LEVEL
THAT I PRAY NO OTHER WOMEN NEED
TO FIND.
TO FIND. >> THAT SISTERHOOD AND GRIEF IS
A LITTLE BIT OF GRACE IN THIS
STORY.
STORY. >> IT IS.
>> IT IS. WE TALKED ABOUT FEMALE
FRIENDSHIP AND THESE TWO FOUND
EACH OTHER.
EACH OTHER. THEY DON’T NEED TO USE WORDS.
THEY UNDERSTAND.
THEY UNDERSTAND. THEY TOGETHER JUST WANT TO SHOUT
IT TO THE WORLD, DON’T LET THIS
HAPPEN TO YOU.
DON’T LET OUR FATE BE YOURS.
THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT
THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR WATER
SAFETY.
SAFETY. THERE ARE INFANT SWIM LESSONS
THAT TEACH THEM HOW TO FLIP
OVER.
OVER. YOU CAN LOOK INTO THAT.
A FENCE, ABSOLUTELY.
I THINK MOST OF ALL WHAT THEY
ARE TRYING TO DO IS LET’S CHANGE
OUR MIND SETS ABOUT IT.
LET’S THINK ABOUT THE POOL OR
ANY BODY OF WATER.
IT CAN BE AN OPEN TOILET FOR A
TODDLER THAT CAN CLIMB IN.
I KNOW A LITTLE GIRL THAT
HAPPENED TO.
HAPPENED TO. IT CAN BE A PUDDLE.
WE JUST NEED TO HAVE A SENSE OF
URGENCY AROUND IT.
THAT’S WHAT THEY WANT US TO DO.
>> I DON’T THINK I DID UNTIL
THIS STORY.
THIS STORY. I THINK IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT TO
SHARE IT.
SHARE IT. SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS,
SHARE IT WITH YOUR SPOUSES.
GET THE WORD OUT THERE.
THAT’S WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
>> EVEN IF IT’S HARD TO WATCH
BECAUSE IT BREAKS YOUR HEART.
I AMS SAY IF THEY ARE BRAVE
ENOUGH TO SAY IT, WE HAVE TO BE