Coachella family’s drowning tragedy leads to life-saving swimming lessons

Joel Martinez passed away the day before he would have turned two.

“He was this beautiful, handsome, blue-eyed little boy,” remembers his mother Jackie Valenzuela, “April 9th was supposed to be his 2nd birthday party and April 8th he had his drowning accident.”

“I just know that they found him in the water, my 9-year-old, at the time, was the one that gave me a call and I could just remember everything he said when he gave me that call at 6:18,” Valenzuela said.

Some might think his mother would never go near water again but rather than drowning in her own sorrow, Jackie Valenzuela is poolside almost every day.

“I’m so thankful for the foundation,” Mayra Orduño says, hugging Valenzuela, and wiping her eyes. “Thank you so much.”

The tears that come the day we met her at a residential pool in Coachella, were mainly from other parents.

“And the confidence,” says Orduño, motioning to her four year old daughter Juliette, “It’s beautiful.”

For the last several weeks, Juliette Orduño has spent 10 minutes a day, five days a week learning how to survive in the water with Infant Swimming Resource instructor David Heil.

Juliette smiles and laughs at the praise she’s given for coming up for air, and floating on her back.

“Our children love the water,” says Yadira Regla-Cuevas, who opened up her home for the swimming lesson. “And it’s very soothing and calming, but there’s always that fear. They can’t learn how to swim, or what if this happens, or they don’t understand.”

Regla-Cuevas’ son Ezekiel, 2, as well as Juliette Orduño, have Down syndrome. The outgoing pair of swimmers are among nine special children from the group Ezekiel’s Gift of Love, who are getting their ISR (Infant Swimming Resource) training paid for through Jackie Valenzuela’s charity, named for her son, Make a Splash for Joel.

“Parents were willing to commit to the timeframes, but then finances were an issue,” says Regla-Cuevas, “and we spoke with David (Heil), and asked ‘Do you know of any programs?’ and we got linked with Make a Splash with Joel foundation.”

When parents in her group heard about ISR, they were sold on the program.

“For our kiddos, it was exactly what they needed,” explains Orduño. “It was just so appropriate.”

That is because ISR is not traditional swimming lessons.

“It’s survival as well,” says Heil. “If your child can swim, they’re not any safer. They need to be able to float and breathe also.”

“I thought it was always safe for Joel that one person put him in the water and be there with him. Or a life jacket. I never knew how important it was,” says Valenzuela, fighting back tears. “I wish he would have known what ISR was, because it could have saved his life, and when (Joel) got in that water, that he was going to be safe.”

“As a father it’s kind of hard to see your son underwater,” says Carlos Madrid, whose son CJ is also taking ISR lessons from Heil. “That was my fear at the beginning. But now I see how far he’s come. So I’m grateful for this training.”

“We want (Juliette) to have that opportunity and be just like any other child,” says Orduño. “Right? Have that opportunity to learn to swim, enjoy a great recreational activity, and for her to do it at such a young age, I’m like, ‘Yay! Let’s go Juliette! So I’m really really proud of her.”

Those are the kids of words and laughter that keep Jackie afloat.

“‘Thank you for saving their child’s life,'” recalls Jackie, of what parents like Orduño tell her. “Because their child loved the water so much, and that was their fear of their child drowning. Especially with their children with Down syndrome. That was their biggest fear. And because of Make a Splash for Joel, their child’s life is in good hands and they’ll never experience a drowning accident.”

VIDEO: WATCH JULIETTE AFTER FIVE WEEKS OF LESSONS

Learn more about Make a Splash for Joel and sponsor swimming lessons for a child, email Jackie Valenzuela at makeasplashforjoel@gmail.com

Learn more about Ezekiel’s Gift of Love and resources for Coachella Valley families with Down Syndrome children

Learn more about Infant Swim Resource lessons, and contact instructor David Heil at 818-602-9134, or email: d.heil@infantswim.com