Bode Miller and wife Morgan are continuing to speak out about the importance of water safety almost a year after their 19-month-old daughter Emeline Grier died by accidental drowning in a pool.
For Thursday’s episode of Today, the couple opened up to Natalie Morales about the harrowing experience their family has gone through since Emmy’s death and how they are focusing on the importance of teaching their 6-month-old son Easton Vaughn Rek how to swim.
“I think if you talk to any parent who’s lost a child to drowning, the research that you start to do — where I saw 6-month-old babies and 1-year-olds and 16-month-olds, 19-month-olds swimming — that could’ve been Emmy,” reflected Morgan, 32.
“That should’ve been Emmy,” she emphasized.
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Bode Miller’s Wife Says She Cried as Her Baby Son Learned to Swim After Daughter’s Drowning Death
“And it was that easy to commit to one session of what we’re doing now,” Morgan added. “It would’ve changed everything.”
Bode, 41, called parenting “inherently scary,” explaining, “You’re worried about your food or your screen time or whatever, but THE number one thing is, that can take your child where none of that stuff is relevant is drowning.”
The Millers welcomed Easton on Oct. 5, four months after Emeline drowned in a pool in the Coto de Caza neighborhood of Orange County, California.
They are also parents to son Nash Skan, 4 next month, while the former ski champion also has two children from previous relationships: son Samuel and daughter Neesyn.
Bode told Today that while the addition of Easton to their family is “not going to fill that hole” that Emmy left, “it adds that much more love and that is a blessing.”
“And for the kids to be able to experience that love again, and life after death, it’s a way to heal … [Emmy] is still very much a part of this family,” he continued.
“It’s been a learning process I think for all of us, but, she’s definitely still around,” Bode said.
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