My son died from cold water shock - but others don't have to
Fiona Gosling's son Cameron died after jumping into the River Wear in County Durham on a hot summer's day.
Sunday 23 June 2019 20:10, UK
Fiona Gosling's son Cameron died after jumping into cold water on a hot summer's day in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.
Nearly four years after losing the 14-year-old, Ms Gosling is keen to warn other children of the dangers of "cold water shock".
It will never happen to me - something I have said many times.
5 July 2015 was an exceptionally hot day.
Cameron had spent the night at his friends and came home around 12pm.
He had a sandwich and said he was going to the skate park.
All the boys went out and the house was quiet and chilled.
At 4.30pm, I was in the car when I received a text from my other son Curtis.
It read: "Cameron's jumped in the river and hasn't come back up - we can't find him!"
My heart racing, I sped down to where I thought Curtis said the boys were with the fire service, which was nowhere near to the actual site - all I could do was stop and wait.
Time went by so slowly - but two hours later, I remember being sat by myself when there was a sudden downpour of rain.
In my heart, I knew then he was not coming home the way he left home that day.
Waiting seven hours to identify one of your children is the worst thing in the world - reality hit hard then.
Days passed in a blur, but after speaking to the coroner, she explained that Cameron had died from cold water shock - which can affect breathing and movement - even among strong and confident swimmers, like Cameron.
Not knowing anything about cold water shock, I began researching and teaching myself and my family exactly what it was.
According to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, anything below 15C (59F) is defined as cold water.
On a hot summer's day four years ago, Cameron's heart stopped as soon as he entered the water, which he had not acclimatised to first.
Durham County Council invited me to a meeting and the "Dying To Be Cool" campaign was created.
I began going to schools to teach children exactly what can happen while playing around in open water.
I do not believe telling young people to stay away from water works - but giving them advice on what to do before entering the water, is much more beneficial - and it works.
The advice I give is to take five minutes to paddle in the water, splash yourself - bring your body temperature down so it is not a shock when you go in.
Learning to live without one of your kids is not the way life should be.
We have missed out on so much - Cameron will never drive the car we would have bought for his 18th birthday - and we will continue to miss out for years to come.
We will not get to see him marry or enjoy being grandparents to his children - something most people experience in life.
I am calling for schools to introduce lessons on the dangers of cold water shock.
It could just save a child's life.