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Heartbroken mother's stern warning to all parents after two of her children, aged 11 and 14, drowned in Philly pool over holiday weekend
A Philadelphia mother's two children were taken off life support Sunday after they tragically drowned in a pool over Memorial Day weekend.
As Brittney McWhite prepares to say goodbye to her 11-year-old London Marie and her 14-year-old Wadale this week, she recounted the horrific series of events that led to their untimely deaths.
'They weren't in there for more than like three or four minutes,' McWhite told FOX 29 Philadelphia. 'They called their names...and when they jumped in, they were at the bottom of the pool.
The family was at a holiday party in Gloucester, a New Jersey suburb outside of Philadelphia, where London Marie and Wadale decided to play a game of Marco Polo.
McWhite, who has four other kids, said London Marie and Wadale could swim, which was why she left them unattended while she helped prepare food inside.
Wadale, pictured second from the left, and London Marie, were both taken off life support Sunday after drowning in a pool over Memorial Day weekend
Brittney McWhite, who has four other children, said she knows her kids 'are at peace, it's just very devastating'
When she came outside, she didn't see her two kids when she looked around for them.
That's when she discovered that the siblings were in trouble.
Although they were quickly pulled out from the bottom of the pool, the damage was just too great.
As summer kicks off, she issued a stern warning to fellow parents who may take their kids to cool off at a pool, saying that drownings like these could happen after being in the water for just 'a minute.'
'Always have a set of eyes. Prevent your kids from playing games. Make sure the pool is safe,' she said.
'If it doesn't look right, don't do it. Because once you lose your child, it is hard. It's really hard to stomach.'
For the past week, the children were placed on breathing support machines to keep them alive. By Sunday, it became clear to McWhite and the kids' father that nothing was going to change
McWhite issued a stern warning for other parents thinking of taking their kids to a pool during to cool off during the summer: 'Always have a set of eyes...If it doesn't look right, don't do it. Because once you lose your child, it is hard'
For the past week, the children were placed on breathing support machines to keep them alive. By Sunday, it became clear to McWhite and the kids' father that nothing was going to change.
'Keeping my child hooked onto a machine for the rest of their life is not ideally what any parent should want for their children, so today me and dad decided to end life support,' McWhite said.
London Marie would have turned 12 years old next week, while Wadale would have graduated from eighth grade.
McWhite said the two were total opposites who nonetheless couldn't live without one another.
'I know they're at peace, it's just very devastating,' said McWhite. 'Not to lose one child but two. I think that's more challenging because you can't stomach that, but you have to keep going.'
To prevent drownings, the CDC recommends a number of things, including enclosing pools with fences, supervising nearby children and learning CPR in case the worst does happen.