Trinity mom promotes pool safety after losing child in drowning

Sandra Testo-Michaud is certain she has an angel watching her every move and guiding her and those around her.

The angel has light brown hair, big brown eyes and a smile that so big it lights up a room. She's only 2 and her name is Katelyn. In fact, she looks just like Testo-Michaud did at that age. Like mother, like daughter.

Katelyn died in the family's backyard pool shortly after her second birthday.

On Jan. 27, 2004, Katelyn and her mom had just returned to their Hunting Creek home in New Port Richey after dropping off Katelyn's big sister, Lexi, at school and doing errands. Just as she always did, Testo-Michaud got her daughter cookies and milk and sat her down in front of the TV to watch "Dora the Explorer" while she went to her home office to check voice mail. She was gone for only a few minutes and when she returned to the living room, Katelyn was gone. She found her in the bottom of the pool. It was too late.

The pool was still being installed and workers had taken down a safety gate to repair a decking problem.

On a recent rainy day, Testo-Michaud watched as workers installed a new pool at the Trinity East home she had built and has lived in since 2007. It's less than a mile away from where Katelyn's body rests.

"A lot of people say I am so brave to be doing this," she said. "... I'm nervous but I don't have a toddler."

Lexi is 12 now and she's a great swimmer, her said.

The pool, really, is a necessity for Testo-Michaud. It's all in the name of Katelyn.

Foundation is growing

Testo-Michaud and her brother Rob Testo started The Katelyn Foundation in 2006. (Her marriage broke up from the stress of Katelyn's death so her brother has been a source of emotional support.) The nonprofit foundation is dedicated to educating the public about water safety and pays for swimming lessons for children to prevent accidents such as the one that took Katelyn.

This year it's provided about 300 children with free swimming lessons.

"Every year it's growing," Testo-Michaud said.

Her dream has been to have a facility where she can teach swimming lessons. That's where the new pool comes into the picture.

Testo-Michaud's part-time neighbor is president of The Pool Guyz in Virginia Beach, Va. Ric Reineke heard the story of Katelyn and what her mom has done and had an idea. He went to his board and contacted his company's partner Viking Pools and got enthusiastic nods all around. And in August the installation of Testo-Michaud's pool began with Reineke and Tom Straub, vice president of sales and marketing for Viking Pools in Jane Lew, W.Va., flying in to oversee the project.

They won't disclose the total cost of the donation, but it's clear the 6-foot-deep fiberglass composite pool with built-in spa is top-notch. And everything they've given to her is also "green."

"We call it priceless," Reineke said.

Together the companies have been involved in 19 episodes of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" so they're no strangers to philanthropy.

Reineke and Straub said they were so touched by Katelyn's story they needed to reach out to her mom and hopefully help others in the process.

"Obviously, our hearts went out to Sandra," Straub said. "What she's done I think it's fantastic. She's taken adversity and made it an opportunity."

Reineke shared the same feelings.

"Anything that we can do to prevent drownings is one of our company's top concerns," said Reineke, who added he's excited about Testo-Michaud starting lessons in her new pool and growing the foundation. "I want the foundation to quadruple in size."

An emotional process

Not only was the pool and labor donated, the pool pump and heater were donated by Jandy, a major manufacturer of pool products. Local businesses stepped in, too. Paver Paradise of Port Richey pitched in the pavers and labor, and Extreme Fence, also of Port Richey, donated a fence and labor. And May Electric based in Hudson has donated work as well, Testo-Michaud said.

"Gosh, I never knew that getting this pool would bring up so many emotions. Last week was a tough week," she said. "I had to call my mother and she put me back together."

The whole pool project isn't complete yet but should be by the end of the month.

"It is so amazing how these small companies, during tough times, are so kind to donate their time and money for this project," Testo-Michaud said. "I am truly blessed."

In addition, her permit application sailed through the county's permitting division even though she got short notice on the pool donation and installation, she said. She knows why this has all happened.

"I feel like everything is going this way because of her," she said of her angel, Katelyn. "She died for a reason and she's taking care of us."

Testo-Michaud isn't sure when she'll start lessons in her backyard. She recently became a certified swimming instructor but is looking for a mentor before she begins teaching on her own. She also hopes to find additional instructors. The lessons at her home won't take over the ones she provides through scholarships elsewhere. They'll supplement them.

One thing she knows for sure is what she's going to call her own swimming program: "Katelyn's Aquarium."