My Story

British Swim School St. Louis is much more than just a business to me, it’s a mission.

In 1982, my little brother, Nicholas, drowned at a family pool party when he was just 22 months old. It happened on an unseasonably warm day in September. Everyone had gotten out of the pool to eat lunch and Nicholas had just gotten up from his nap. Somehow Nicholas fell into the pool. It only took a few seconds of people being distracted or thinking someone else was watching him and it happened silently, with several adults and older children nearby. He was rushed to the hospital and remained on life support for almost a week, but never regained consciousness before he died.

I went on to love the water, teaching swimming at a summer camp and becoming a scuba instructor, but always with the memory of how quickly and easily an accident can happen.

Sadly, many families have experienced similar stories. Drowning is the #1 cause of accidental death for children 1-4 years old and the #2 cause for children 5-9 years old, only behind traffic accidents. But it doesn’t have to be.

British Swim School St. Louis gives me the chance to help save children like Nicholas and make sure other families don’t experience the devastating loss of a child. I love the British Swim School program for two reasons: (1) it teaches children survival skills that can help prevent most drowning accidents and (2) it uses fun, gentle methods that let me pass on my love of the water and swimming.

The British Swim School motto is “Survival of the Littlest.” My mission is to achieve that motto, by providing the best possible program to teach children (and adults) skills that can save their lives, and by making sure parents know that water-survival lessons are just as important a part of protecting their little ones as car seats, smoke detectors, or baby-proofing their house, even if they decide to take lessons somewhere else.

I know that if Nicholas had taken a program like ours and learned how to float on his back, his fall into the pool would have just ended with a little scare for the grownups and a change of wet clothes for him. Knowing Nicholas, he probably would have enjoyed the adventure and commotion he caused.

My son, Teddy, is just a few months older than Nicholas was when he died. He loves going to his lessons (as you can see) and I love knowing that I’m helping keep him safe.

I hope you’ll join me (and Teddy) on our mission to make “Survival of the Littlest” a reality by spreading the word about the importance of water-survival lessons, especially for infants and toddlers.

Birch McMullin

British Swim School St. Louis offers premium water survival and swimming lessons for infants, toddlers, children and adults, starting at just 3 months old. We proudly serve the St. Louis communities of Afton, Ballwin, Brentwood, Chesterfield, Clayton, Concord, Crestwood, Creve Coeur, Dardenne Prairie, Eureka, Fenton, High Ridge, Howell Island, Kirkwood, Ladue, Lake St. Louis, Manchester, Maplewood, Maryland Heights, New Town, Olivette, Overland, Richmond Heights, St. Charles, Orchard Farm, St. Paul, St. Peters, Sunset Hills, Town and Country, Valley Park, Webster Groves, Weldon Springs, and Wildwood. Call 314-312-1878 to enroll or find a class online.