On Sunday August 3rd
2008, Jaise Michael Taylor entered the world.
He was in a hurry
to enter this world, arriving almost 5 weeks early and spent the first week of
his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at John Hunter Hospital,
Newcastle. Jaise had difficulties breathing from birth, due to some medication
I was prescribed during pregnancy to help with severe migraines.
He was born a
fighter and overcome lots of hurdles in the first 18 months of his life, which
included Benign Sleep Myoclonus, severe reflux and a chest infection at 5
months that saw him hospitalised for over 8 days. I became very protective of
my little ‘Bear’ because he was often sick and at the hospital, but he always
made me proud. I have photos of him when he was in hospital at 5 months of age,
so sick he could hardly move, but he still managed a smile.
In early 2010
Jaise had trouble breathing and was rushed to Redcliffe Hospital 2 occasions
where he was hospitalised due to severe asthma attacks.
At the age of 2
years, just days after his 2nd birthday, he was officially diagnosed as an asthmatic and placed on a preventative,
which made the world of difference to his breathing. I would still have to give
him a dose of Ventolin via his nebuliser every night, often a few times a night
if he had a cold or was sick. At first he didn’t like the nightly routine of
all his medications but after a while, he got the hang of it and eventually
insisted that ‘Nannie do, Nannie do’ the administering of his medication when
she was staying with us for a few months earlier this year.
Even when our
little ’Bear’ was sick, he still managed a smile and always hugged us tight.
Over the past 2
years Jaise grew to become a loving, happy go lucky boy who was always full of
smiles and lots of energy to match.
He would walk into
a room and his dimples, smile and little voice would melt any heart.
One of his
favourite toys were his cars. He used to play matchbox cars, read car
magazines, watch Roary the Racing Car and make ‘broooom broooom’ noises all the
time.
If it wasn’t cars,
it was trains. He loved watching Chuggington and wore his Thomas the Tank
Engine thongs that he got for his 2nd Birthday all the time.
He was so obsessed
with these toys he would often called out to me in the night and when I would
sneak into his room, he would look up and ask ‘car Mummy?’ so I would get him a
car and he would reply ‘Ni Ni Mummy’.
He had lots of
cute and funny sayings, just to name a few:
Cookies were
Cookoos, Aunty Debbie was Dare, Milo was Myno and he always wanted Kisses, in
which he would run to you and yell…. Mwaaa!!!!
His oldest sister,
who turns 10 in December, doted on him. She has always been such a wonderful
help with her siblings. Some mornings she would come into me in bed and ask if
she could get Jaise up when he wakes up.
If he needed a
bottle, Tahli would help get it ready and even if he had a smelly nappy she
would be there by my side or wanting to change him.
His youngest
sister, turned 5 in September and she was Jaise’s best friend and partner in
crime. They played cars, dolls, dress ups and enjoyed running in the backyard
together everyday.
Yes they would
fight, but if one of them was upset or sick, the other was never far away and
ready to offer comfort.
In September 2010
we were on a trip visiting family in the Hunter Area NSW, and spent a few days
at his Aunty & Uncle’s place in Anna Bay. We had spent a few days over the
weekend before his accident having a quick dip in the pool at the house that
they had recently rented. The swims were quick because the water temperature
was still very cold, even though the days were getting warmer.
On Monday
September 27th 2010 his Aunty & Uncle went off to work and I
stayed at their place with my 3 children, my niece who was 8 and my nephew who
was 16.
I dropped my
sister in law to work in the morning as she had let me have the car.
I went back to
their place and started doing some general housework for them while they were
at work.
At about 10am
Jaise started to get grizzly, so I gave him a bottle and put him upstairs in
his porta cot for his morning sleep. He said ‘Ni Ni Mummy’ as he always did and
I went downstairs to continue cleaning and organising our trip back home to
QLD.
Over the next few
hours my 2 daughters and their cousin played inside and out, we had a dip in
the pool and I made them a picnic morning tea to have under the back patio. I
checked the pool gate was shut while I was on a phone call prior to Jaise
waking up.
At around noon
Jaise woke up, so I went upstairs and picked him up from his cot. He gave me
the most affectionate cuddles as we walked downstairs to where the living area
was.
I got him a little
drink and he asked for his dodo (dummy) then I had cuddles and watched
Chuggington with him.
After Jaise had a
little cuddle and had fully woken up he decided he wanted to go outside and
play with the girls.
My nephew was
still upstairs in his room at this stage so it was just the kids and I that
were downstairs.
I continued to
clean and made a few phone calls to organise a rental car to drive back to QLD
the following day. I had the back screen door open so the kids could come and
go when the pleased and I could see them at all times.
The girls asked
for something for lunch at around 12.20pm and after looking in the cupboard I
suggested we get some hot chips and have lunch somewhere. All the kids thought
that was a wonderful idea so I explained to them I had to close the computer
down, put some washing out and wash a few dishes up quickly then we could go
for a drive.
I walked inside
and as I did I saw Jaise ride one of the scooters along the patio. I checked
the washing but it still hadn’t finished so I put some dishes in the sink and
walked into the lounge to finish up what was on the computer. It was then that
I saw Jaise scoot pass the glass doors again.
My nephew yelled
out from halfway down the stairs that he was ‘going to do something’ and I
yelled out ‘where are you going?’ but he had already walked out the front
screen door. I heard voices so I assumed his mates had come over to see him and
they were heading out.
I then turned
around to look for Jaise, and he was gone. Then the noise suddenly dulled and I
had this sinking pitted feeling in my stomach.
I remembered
hearing my nephew go out the front screen door, so I asked my eldest daughter
if Jaise was near her. She replied no, so I ran out through the front screen
door hoping Jasie hadn’t followed my nephew out the door. I started to hurry
down the driveway, thinking he had run off somewhere, when for some unknown
reason, because it was silent outside, I looked to my left and saw my 8 year
old daughter pulling my two year old out of the pool by his arms.
I remember feeling
like a huge wall had stopped me in my tracks; I instantly felt the pain of
terror and started screaming ‘NO NO NO HELP’
I could not
believe what I was seeing, my daughter was pulling him from the pool, my niece
and other daughter were standing by screaming and crying.
By the time I got
to my son, my daughter had him laying in the recovery position and was draining
water from him. I started to tell her to call 000 but she yelled ‘Im calling
000’ and ran inside with her cousin. My 4 year old daughter, just stood at the
fence and screamed, she had no idea what was going on.
I remember seeing
Jaise, looking lifeless and blue. I picked him up and started to run towards
the road and scream for help. My little boy was so heavy and wet and I felt
hopeless.
Within no more
than 30 seconds a lady came running from next door to help, my daughter had not
only called 000 but also gone next door for help.
She took my son
and started CPR as other neighbours started to come to help.
After what felt
like an eternity, I heard Police and Ambulance sirens in the distance.
Cars started
pulling up everywhere and it all felt like a bad dream that I just had to wake
up from. I was sitting with a female officer and we heard the helicopter
circling waiting to land somewhere.
Jaise was revived
on the scene and air lifted to John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle where he spent
two days on life support.
The Doctors did
lost of tests which included CT scans, MRIs, Xrays and even took him to surgery
to insert a monitor into his little brain to see how much swelling he had on
his brain.
After 2 days in
the ICU and on full life support we were told that Jaise had suffered a hypoxic
brain injury, which had left him brain dead.
So sadly on
Wednesday September 29th 2010 at 10.30am, Jaise left us to become an
Angle in heaven.
Before we buried
Jaise in QLD with just immediate family present, we had a memorial service in
my home town of Orange, NSW. Over 200 people attended, including family,
friends, former work mates, old school friends that travelled from afar and
even people we didn’t know. It was unbelievable to see how many lives our
little boy had touched in his short life.
Its now a year on,
we would normally be happily bouncing around, looking forward to the warmer
summer weather and the Christmas celebrations that approach us.
Instead, my eldest
daughter is having difficulties sleeping and keeps going over the events of
that tragic day in September 2010, trying to make sense of what happened.
My youngest
daughter sits here at home with me and draws pictures for her little brother
and talks about missing him every hour or so throughout the day.
I sit here and try
to remember all the happy times we got to spend with Jaise, all the funny
sayings, funny mannerisms he had and remember his smell. However, its not the
same. I miss having our little ’Bear’ running around, playing cars and happily
jumping around.
Since Jaise died
we have been informed, by NSW Police, that the pool didn’t meet the safety
standard to the rental property.
I am angry, this
house was a death trap, I was on holidays visiting my relatives and this
happens. I constantly wonder how anyone can live in that house after what has
happened, I feel awful for what my niece and daughters saw that day.
I knew the gate was
shut because I closed it myself, but they tell me the lock on it drops and
didn’t catch properly. This just should not have happened. It was the owner’s
responsibility to make sure it was compliant and due to this not happening, my
little boy now lies in a cemetery instead of his warm bed at night.
I lost my little
boy because the laws are not enforced in NSW. That is just so wrong in so many
ways!
Our lives will
never be the same again, my family shattered and torn apart. I am now
attending Professional counselling with my two girls which was organised by
Hannah’s Foundation
It’s hard waking
up every day, I expect to hear my little boy yell out ‘Mummy’ or cry during the
night. Some mornings I lay there, waiting to hear him when I first wake up,
then I realise, he’s gone and I will never hear that little voice call for me
again. I struggle with anxiety and the flashbacks and my eldest daughter has
major anxiety and is showing signs OCD. I worry for my kids, its never
going to be the same.
I get so mad and
frustrated when people ask me if Jaise could swim. The answer is no.
However even if he could swim, it would have made no difference. The pool was
so damn cold and he would not have had the upper body strength to pull himself
out of the water.
I will never
forget how blue or lifeless he was and that water is etched in my mind forever.
I panic if I get wet whilst fully clothed as it reminds me of that day, when I
picked my son up and ran for help with him in my arms. Also if I carry anything
heavy it reminds me of carrying his cold lifeless body and screaming for help.
I find that CPR Is
being promoted as a bandaid for drowning and its not, its the last prevention
in saving lives and I just wish that people would wake up and realise how
important prevention is.
