By Mike Clary, Sun Sentinel, (full article, http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-child-drowning-parents-pain-20140522,0,4630251,full.story)11:21 p.m. EDT, May 24, 2014
A couple of weeks after Vahnessa Estien's two young sons began swim classes, she revealed to instructor Jeff Gershe a secret that drove them both to tears: Her daughter Soleila drowned in a pool when she was just 2.
"We had the good fortune to have two more children," said Estien, 34, of Hollywood. "So I told Jeff, we are doing what I should have done with my daughter. I don't want history to repeat itself."
Neither does Toni Rodriquez, who lost her 1-year-old daughter to drowning in 2011.
"You don't want to walk my journey," Rodriquez said. She also has two children taking classes at Gershe's Just Swim in Cooper City.
The two mothers who both know a profound sense of loss are sharing their stories of grief as the Memorial Day weekend signals the start of swimming season.
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