We all have hopes and dreams for our children. We hope that they will make friends, fall in love, be successful and build a life of their own, but most of all, we hope that they will be healthy and happy.
In amongst all of these hopes and dreams, you never imagine that your family will be ‘The One’ to be impacted by an unintentional childhood injury…. but what if you were?
Sadly, despite no one ever thinking it could happen to them, three families every single week across Australia become ‘The One’ to lose a child due to an injury.
This month, 5 families have joined us as part of National Kidsafe Day to bravely share their lived experience about being ‘The One’ and help ensure no other family has to endure what theirs is.
It was a normal day. Just like any other.
“The children were safely playing inside the house whilst I quickly cut the grass. I’d done this a hundred times whilst Peter was at work”, recalls Emma.
“Peter arrived home and reversed into the garage. Then the screams started.” Tragically, Georgina died in a driveway runover incident.
It was a normal day. Just like any other.
“I kissed Hunter goodbye as he excitedly ran off towards his Grandad and they made plans to feed the horses near the dam. He loved to visit the farm and get all covered in mud”, recalls Ash.
“Then I received the worst phone call of my life.” Tragically, Hunter drowned in a dam.
It was a normal day. Just like any other.
“Adrian had arrived home from work and we were happily eating fish and chips whilst listening to music. As Adrian moved his truck to empty the rubbish from the car I held on to Pippa’s hand to be safe”, recalls Eve.
“As the car stopped she ran excitedly towards her Daddy…and then he drove forward, thinking Pippa was still with me.” Tragically, Pippa died in a driveway runover incident.
It was a normal day. Just like any other.
“Blakey was playing in the lounge as I ran around cleaning up after our boys. He was a real bush man and loved to play outside, but to keep him safe he was playing with his toys in the lounge”, recalls Kirstie.
“Then I heard the crash.” Tragically, Blake died after a bookcase toppled over on to him.
It was a normal day. Just like any other.
“Bella had been to the park and was happy and smiley as always”, recalls Allison.
“Then she woke with a fever and cough but it seemed to be just a virus according to the Doctors. I had no idea that only days later she would die in my arms.” Tragically, Bella died after ingesting a button battery.
These families are just like you and I – they are loving, careful parents whose lives were changed forever in a split second when they became ‘The One’.
Losing a child to a preventable injury has a lasting impact on family, friends and the wider community
For the 150 Australian families whose children die due to an unintentional injury every year, life is never the same again.
Allison expresses that the impact of losing her daughter, Bella, has been felt by the entire family.
“I feel like we are just surviving. We talk about her all the time, it’s still not the same. This isn’t the life we wanted to live. It would have been so different if Bella hadn’t found that button battery and swallowed it. So, so different.”
Kidsafe works with these families, supporting them to share their lived experience and create a legacy for their child.
Through sharing their story, families such as Emma and Peter’s are assisting to create awareness, empower others and ultimately change behaviour to save lives.
“We want people to be inspired to change. Not think we are brave. We can’t improve the situation for us, but we can try to make it better for other people.”
Click here to watch videos of the families sharing their stories and their message for you.
Kidsafe exists to prevent these types of tragedies by empowering families with practical strategies and knowledge of how to prevent serious, life-threatening injuries.
When it comes to keeping our children safe, we all have a role to play. You can #beTheOnetomakethechange and help save the lives of our precious children. Together, we can keep kids safe.
How to get involved?
- Share our messages with your family and friends – make safety a topic that is important to everyone with children.
- Download our home safety checklist
- Donate to Kidsafe Victoria to help us continue their work to save more lives
- Show your support by sharing the text below and an image of yourself in our National Kidsafe Day frame, on your socials
This National Kidsafe Day, I’m joining @KidsafeVic to #betheonetomakethechange 
You never imagine that you will be ‘the one’…. but what if you were?
Take a selfie – like mine – with #1 on the palm of your hand, download the social frame, and post it to your network.
We need to share this message to every person we know that looks after children to help prevent unintentional injuries.
Support Kidsafe Victoria to continue to save children’s lives.
