Thursday, June 2, 2016

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today. A day known as June 2nd, 2015.

One year ago today, seven 13-year-old friends, fresh out of the seventh grade, went on a day trip together.

One year ago today, seven friends went to a lake together.

One year ago today, seven friends set up a camp near a lake together.

One year ago today, four friends took a ride on a boat together.

One year ago today, four friends and a little first-grader took a ride on a boat together.

One year ago today, four friends, a little first-grader, and two adults, one a mother of three and the other a dentist and a father of three, took a ride on a boat together.

One year ago today, three friends stayed behind on the shores of the lake.

One year ago today, four friends, a little first-grader, and two adults were out in the middle of a lake on a boat together.

One year ago today, the four friends, the little first-grader, and the two adults were having so much fun out on the lake that they didn't notice the storm creeping up on them.

One year ago today, the storm reached the four friends, the little first-grader, and the two adults.

One year ago today, the storm winds were so high their boat capsized.

One year ago today, the four friends, the little first-grader, and the two adults were thrown off of their boat and into the freezing cold water.

One year ago today, the four friends, the little first-grader, and the two adults huddled together and tried to come up with a plan that would bring them to safety.

One year ago today, two of the friends stayed behind with the little first-grader and the two adults while the other two began to swim to the nearest shore to look for help.

One year ago today, the two friends who began to swim to the nearest shore to look for help found themselves stranded in the middle of a freezing cold lake with waves up to eight feet tall crashing from all around with the capsized boat no longer in sight.

One year ago today, the three friends who stayed back at the camp dialed 911 and called for a search-and-rescue team.

One year ago today, the two friends who went looking for help had swam for at least four hours before the search-and-rescue team found them.

One year ago today, the two friends who went looking for help were wrapped up in blankets, strapped to a cot, and taken to the nearest hospital.

One year ago today, the search-and-rescue team found the capsized boat.

One year ago today, the search-and-rescue team found three bodies.

One year ago today, the search-and-rescue team brought the bodies to the nearest hospital.

One year ago today, one body was still missing.

One year ago today, the doctors announced that the father, the child, and one of the friends, Kelsey, had died of hypothermia.

One year ago today, the doctors announced that the mother was still alive, but the search-and-rescue team had not yet found the missing body.

One year ago today, the search-and-rescue team finally managed to find the body. The body belonged to a girl named Siera, who was indeed dead from hypothermia.

One year ago today, the two friends who went looking for help recovered.

One year ago today, the remaining five friends, once a group of seven who only wanted a fun day at the lake, mourned for the loss of the father, the child, and their two beloved friends.




Jammers, believe it or not, these seven friends went to my school. We were acquaintances with each other, you could say.

I wish I could have gotten to know Siera and Kelsey better before they passed away.

If I had known when and how their death would take place, I would have warned them not to go to the lake and not to go on that boat.

But like they always say, you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone.

So, I plead of you to get to know your peers more, no matter how scary or weird they are, because we often take these kinds of things for granted as people. It's just human nature.

Thank you for reading.

#carrysieraslight
#spreadkelseyskindness

20 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, that is so sad! It is so true though, we don't know what we have until we can't have it anymore.

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  2. That's a really sad story. I can't believe that you knew them! I'm sorry for your loss one year ago, it must have hurt. And you are right. We all do take everything for granted until we lose it. It's sad that almost everyone, possibly even me, takes everything for grnted and doesn't care about it until we lose it completely. This is a really good lesson.
    >>>---------Cookie0417----------->

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  3. This, is a really sad story....... omg.......... (Speechless) -Misterfrizzy-

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  4. Oh my gosh! That's just terrible... I almost cried reading this.-cheer

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  5. Awwwwwww. I'm sorry naffy:( I remember you saying something about this before.

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  6. I read the whole post and watched the video, I'm so sorry. it really is a tragedy. I've heard of boat calls because my dad is firefighter chief and a EMT. I truly understand how you feel right now. I'm so sorry.

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  7. :( I'm sorry that this had happened. Tragedy strikes all around us. We should all be thankful for our lives and everything in them. Sadly enough, there will always be a person who has less than you. No matter how little you have. Think of it this way, your least favorite food, a luxury to some people. There are a lot of things wrong in this world. Children married young, poverty, racism, sickness, tragedy, death! No doubt, more. With all the bad things in the world, we can't possibly changed them. We just need for there to be less of them. "It is true that I have had heartache and tragedy in my life. These are things none of us avoids. Suffering is the price of being alive," - Judy Collins

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  8. " Everyone wants to make the world a better place. They want to fix all tragedy. Sadly, about 1% do," - Anonymous

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  9. WHAT!? You knew them? Oh, I'm so sorry Naf! This is so sad... :,(
    #carrysieraslight
    #spreadkelseyskindness

    For them and you ,:)

    ~swirlshine

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  10. Aw this is so sad :( Thank you for sharing.

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  11. I don't know what I should say about this.. this is terrible. I'm so sorry that this happened, I wish there could have been a way to warn them. In my prayers naffy ♥.

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  12. Oh my gosh! That is so sad! I'm so sorry Naffy. I truly, and dearly hope and pray they knew God. If they did, and has a relationship with God, their in the most wonderful place. With no more pains, fears, lies, etc. I will keep you in my prayers Naffy. This is truly a heartbreaking story.
    (NatureGirl)

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  13. This is so sad! Hopefully their in a better place now!
    -tiggy

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  14. Oh my gosh.. this is so sad. I'm sorry, Naffy.
    #carrysieraslight
    #spreadkelseyskindness

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  15. I HAVE A video on this topic :( watch the video, Speech brings whole middl3 school to t3ars. SOMETHING like that... And you will be very sad..... or if you want a happy video, go to nyan cat...-Frizzy of the mister-

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  16. I know I already commented, but I agree with everyone. That is so, so sad. May they always be remembered. The friends sacrificed themselves to save others, so they must have been brave AND kind, an amazing combination. I am SO SORRY this happened, and if I was allowed to have Instagram or any social media, I would post about this and get everyone to honor them all, the family, and the friends.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you all for your love and support towards these heartbroken families. <3

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  17. ., So sad... but so true. #carrysieraslight
    .,( #spreadkelseykindness

    -Throwthecheese6

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  18. That's heartbreaking, it bought tears to my eyes, and the fact that it was true just... Rip my emotions

    Wish I could send my love to the families, but the world isn't small enough for me to reach them

    ~~Sympethetic AJKraft

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  19. 2sad4me But in all seriousness... That's so sad...

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