I was 3 years old, swimming with family all day.  Everyone decided to get out of the pool and go play volleyball, and my floaties were taken off. I wanted to play too, but I was told I was too little. So, I thought, fine I'll go swimming. It felt like my floaties were still on, so I took a big leap off the step (as I normally did), and I was sinking.

I screamed and struggled to get at least my hand above water so someone would see me, but I ended up blacking out. My first memory after that was being at the bottom of the pool, I was looking up from the bottom, probably very near my body.

Then I remember being carried out of the pool and seeing the rail as I passed it. My next memory is seeing everyone huddled around me, but the edges of my vision were blurred, I think. I remember my brother screaming at my mom to do CPR, my mom was sobbing and saying, “I can’t.”

Next, I was being carried to the house and I woke up but it was like I moved back into my body, like I crossed over a line or something. My mom says I was most likely in the pool at least 5 minutes. I was pale and not breathing.

She confirmed what I saw and said my brother, who denies saying this, said, mom just do what you know how to do (she was a L&D nurse). So, she began CPR; she did a breath and instead of the chest pump thing, she turned me over and beat on my back. She did this until I began throwing up water and said my eyes then opened (before I was being carried to the house).

I fought the paramedics when they were strapping me to the bed, then I stayed in the hospital overnight but was absolutely fine.

I never talked about my experience as a child. I really didn't know what it was. I have read some of the traits associated with children after their experience and I believe I also had or have many of those traits.