Turning Grief Into Purpose: Jayzik’s Mission for Water Safety After Losing Her Son

When tragedy strikes unexpectedly, it can leave a ripple effect not only in one family but in communities nationwide. This is the story of Jayzik, a mother forever changed in a single, heartbreaking instant—the day her three-year-old son Yori drowned in a backyard swimming pool. Seven years on, what could have remained a private grief has become a life-saving mission; Jayzik channels her pain into advocacy, determined to prevent other families from experiencing the same loss.

A Day Like Any Other Turns Tragic

As Jayzik recounts, it was a playdate just like any other. Her four young boys—born within five and a half years—were energetic and excited. With seven children and four adults present, everything seemed under control, even safe. Some adults were even in the water alongside the children.

But, in a moment that passed with devastating suddenness and deafening silence, disaster struck. “Yori was playing on the stairs; I was with my one-year-old on the side. There were four adults and seven children between us,” she recalls. That’s when she realized Yori was face down in the water. Despite immediate intervention and the arrival of paramedics, it was too late.

What haunts Jayzik most is not just the loss, but its quietness. “Everyone always thinks there’s going to be a big loud noise or you’re going to hear it… It was very quick and very quiet,” she emphasizes. In her words, it wasn’t carelessness, but a tragic miscalculation. With so many adults and kids, and with her son so close on the pool steps, Jayzik assumed he was safe. She brought a life jacket, but with adults in the water and Yori on the stairs, it didn’t seem necessary.

“If I would have put a life jacket on, my son would still be here,” she confides—a fact that brings daily pangs of guilt and “what if” scenarios.

The Invisible Threat of Childhood Drowning

Stories like Yori’s are heartbreakingly common. Drowning is not dramatic; it’s usually silent and swift. Many parents believe, mistakenly, that they’ll hear splashing or calls for help. But children can slip below the surface in seconds, unnoticed amid joyful noise.

As Jayzik points out, drowning is the number one cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 in the United States, an often-overlooked fact. “You think someone else is watching… All it takes is a split second,” she says, highlighting an issue that threatens children in bathtubs, buckets, toilets, and pools alike.

From Unspeakable Loss to Unwavering Advocacy

Emerging from the raw aftermath, Jayzik grappled not only with her grief but with the guilt common in tragedies that happen “on someone’s watch.” She could have chosen silence, but instead she channeled her anguish into action.

Jayzik founded No More Under, an organization dedicated to water safety, drowning prevention, and water access equity. Through it, she works tirelessly to ensure children—especially those from Black and brown communities, who historically have been denied swimming opportunities—learn to swim. “Black and brown families in particular, because of racism, often don’t know how to swim and don’t have access,” she explains, referencing disturbing statistics: 67% of Black children do not know how to swim, a legacy of generations unable to access public pools due to segregation.

No More Under provides free swimming lessons and water safety education. “We’ve had thousands of children go through our swim lessons,” Jayzik shares, “and I just know his life is making a difference.”

She also co-created the film Drowning in Silence, using cinematic storytelling to amplify the experiences of families affected by drowning, break the stigma of discussing these losses, and ignite community action.

Facing the Complexities of Loss

Some wounds cannot be healed, only transformed. For Jayzik, one way Yori lives on is through organ donation. On his birthday, she found herself near the organ donation center, contemplating reaching out to the family of the little girl who now carries Yori’s heart. “I think I’m nervous to meet someone that has a piece of him… but it will happen when it’s supposed to,” she says, her voice wavering with longing and gratitude.

Jayzik recognizes the complexities of carrying such loss. Sharing her story—publicly declaring “my child drowned”—is not easy. Yet, she insists on breaking the silence. “It’s something you think about daily… you don’t want it to happen to other families,” she says.

A Larger Cultural Reckoning

Jayzik’s work is not just about her family or even about water safety—it’s also about equity. The tragic statistics regarding swimming ability in communities of color stem directly from racist policy and legacy. “Swimming is not a part of your culture when you grow up not being around pools,” she notes, connecting the generational trauma of exclusion to today’s continued disparities in drowning rates.

Providing free, accessible swim lessons isn’t only safety; it’s restoration of a right long denied. “We say his name, and he’s helping so many children,” Jayzik says of Yori, finding purpose through profound pain.

What Every Family Needs to Know

Jayzik’s call to action is urgent and clear:

Never assume someone else is watching. Designate a “water watcher” whose sole job is to supervise children in and around water.
Put life jackets on small children, even when close by or on steps.
Teach children to swim early and emphasize water safety.
Talk openly about water safety and close calls. Removing the stigma saves lives.
Understand the risks. Drowning is silent and fast—awareness is key.

Carrying Yori’s Legacy Forward

Jayzik’s courage to share her family’s tragedy means thousands of children are safer today. In a world where grief is often hidden, her advocacy shines a light on both loss and hope. Through every lesson, every child who learns to swim, and every family that stays whole, Yori’s legacy grows.

Her journey reminds us: even from unimaginable loss, we can build futures that are safer, more just, and full of purpose.

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