SLIDEL, Mich. (WGNO) – A Palm Lake mother is calling water safety day ahead of Memorial Day weekend and the summer season after her 15-year-old son died in a water accident. He warns parents to protect themselves.
The incident happened a few days before the boy's birthday, right behind the family's home.
“My 7-year-old son just called me at about 4:31 p.m. and was like, 'Mommy, daddy, Jeron is in the water, Jeron is drowning,' and I was like, 'What? 'He didn't even hang up, he just dropped it,'' said Termaine Simmons, the boy's mother. “I was wearing my nightgown, so I burst out the back door and by the time I got to the downstairs deck, the baby was gone.”
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Simmons said Jeron McGee was playing soccer with his younger brother and at one point the younger brother threw the ball into the lake. Geron jumped into the water to retrieve it, but he never surfaced again.
“He was that tall and I think the reason he decided to jump was because he thought he could stand up,” Simmons said.
However, the water was too deep for Jeron to swim back to safety. Simmons said the teen's brother watched Jeron try to stay afloat.
A team of divers was then able to find Geron, but it was too late.
“He was the sweetest of them all. He was the kindest. She was studying in her room and I was feeling sick with a migraine and he said that between the two of us… I play nurse. He cooks and does everything for me,” Simmons said.
According to Jeron's family, he was a kind-hearted and gentle honor student who had dreams of becoming a chef.
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“He was going to come up with the right ingredients to make the right chicken sandwich to conquer the world. That was his thing. He wanted to be the personal chef of celebrities and travel around the world. “Mom, dad, I'll take care of you. He was that kind of kid,” Simmons said.
His mother said he paid close attention to his younger children, often walking them home from the bus.
Simmons urges parents to practice safe swimming with their children and to keep an eye on their children when in the water.
“One swimming lesson doesn't help. It's not true that they learn how to swim for the rest of their lives. He had lessons when he was young. No matter what happens We need to prepare them,” Simmons said.
The family is currently working to secure a scholarship created in Jeron's name for the culinary program.
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