Devastated mother whose ‘gorgeous’ little boy drowned in the bathtub reveals the horrific episode which caused his death: ‘Every parent’s worst nightmare’
- Archer, nine, was found unresponsive in the bath after a having medical episode
- Family friends Keely has started a GoFundMe for Archer’s mum, Hayley Madigan
- She wrote that Ms Madigan is suffering through ‘every parent’s worst nightmare’
A devastated mother whose nine-year-old son died in the bathtub has revealed the little boy suffered a medical episode.
Ambulance crews rushed to an east Adelaide home in Banksia Park on Monday night after Archer, nine, was found unresponsive in the bath after a suspected drowning.
A friend of his heartbroken mother, Hayley Madigan, started a GoFundMe on Thursday to help her and Archer’s older brother, 12-year-old Harrison, take the time they need to grieve.
She wrote that little Archer had suffered a ‘medical episode’ while in the tub.
Archer (above) was found unresponsive in the bath at his east Adelaide home on Monday night
‘As you can imagine this is any parent’s worst nightmare,’ family friend Keely Lyons wrote.
‘A parent can never plan for the loss of a child, and I cannot even imagine the pain she is in.
‘I am asking for donations to help this loving mother with funeral expenses, to help renew the bathroom and to help her manage expenses over the next few months.
‘I do not want them to have to worry about anything other than healing at this time.’
Ms Lyons said little Archer was a ‘beautiful’ boy and said his family will be ‘forever impacted’ by his tragic death.
A GoFundMe to help Archer’s mother Hayley has raised more than $6,000 since it was started on Monday (pictured, Archer and mother Hayley)
Archer’s is the second child to drown in South Australia this week following the death of nine-year-old Cyrus Buck on Saturday.
Cyrus had gone for a swim in the Waikerie, 180km northeast of Adelaide, public swimming pool but was found unconscious in the water.
Lifeguards attempted to revive him at the scene but he died a short time later at the local hospital.
Resident Louise Thiel started a fundraiser on Monday to support the nine-year-old’s parents and three older siblings.
In less than 24 hours it raised more than $7,700 on top of $1,000 to go to the small town’s Lions Club.
Ms Thiel said Cyrus’ family was ‘warmed by the outpouring of love’ from Waikerie’s 2,600 residents and others who donated or shared kind words.
Cyrus Buck (above) drowned in Waikerie, rural South Australia, public pool on Saturday afternoon
‘I am blown away by the generosity of people and honestly don’t have the words to express how this makes me feel,’ Ms Thiel wrote in a post under the GoFundMe.
She said Cyrus was a ‘gorgeous little man’ and the funds will help to lay him to rest ‘in the most loving way’.
On Friday afternoon the fundraiser reached more than $16,000.
In the 10 years from 2011 to 2021, Royal Life Saving Australia found 105 children aged five to 14 died from drowning.
About 26 per cent of children who drowned during that period had a pre-existing medical condition. The top three conditions were epilepsy, autism and asthma.
Just five per cent of those deaths were reported in South Australia while the worst-offender, Queensland, was responsible for 32 per cent.