A six-year-old boy tragically drowned on his first day in attendance at a $6,000 summer camp in New Jersey, leaving his mum beyond devastated.
Michael Jeffrey Stewart died on Monday (June 24), when he ran into complications while swimming in a pool at Liberty Lake, in Mansfield Township, New Jersey.
Speaking to The Independent, mom Enjoli Stewart explained how she had spent thousands of dollars for his place at Liberty Day Camp, where he was supposed to attend for several weeks during the summer.
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She said: "I’m going to miss my cuddles. He was my baby. He was my little man. He was my protector.
“I did everything I could to make sure he got placed into the right school and the right camp."
Michael - who could not hide his excitement when he discovered he was going to the camp and even wore a pair of goggles to sleep the night before - was found unresponsive in the shallow end of the pool.
His interests included basketball and baseball, which Enjoli told how he would play with his two-year-old sister Layla, and even planned to take piano lessons.
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In a letter seen by FOX to parents, owner of the camp Andy Pritikin said: "I am so sorry this happened. We are absolutely devastated and heartbroken.
"Our thoughts at this most difficult time are with our camper's family, friends, and loved ones - and we are respecting their privacy at this time."
He went on to mention how it was the first issue, injury or death that his camp has encountered in 20 years, but will be introducing more safety measures like a buddy system at the pool.
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UNILAD has contacted Liberty Day Camp for further comment.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for the funeral, and explained how Michael was born a micro-preemie at 23 weeks, with doctors initially expecting the worst.
It read in part: "Michael’s mother refused to believe that and with every ounce of her strength, advocacy, and faith, fought for his life.
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"Michael Jeffrey defied the odds and continued to grow into a very intelligent, loving, caring sweet boy.
"Michael Jeffrey had a love of learning, was a protector for his little sister Layla and Mom, had a fascination with large vocabulary words, and just had a pure heart of gold. Michael Jeffrey touched everyone’s lives that he came into contact with."
It went on: "After his fight into the world, this is so tragic that on his first day of camp he would not return home that day. The family is in need of a lot of support at this time, as you can imagine.
"We are asking for your help in raising money for Michael Jeffrey and his family so that he can be given the funeral and memorial services that he deserves to honor his life. Anything you can give to the family is much appreciated."
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If you'd like to donate to the GoFundMe, click here.
Topics: GoFundMe
Joe Yates