A grieving mom is urging people to avoid cooling off in open water close to where she lives after her teenage son died while swimming there last summer.
Kalen Waugh, then aged 16, went for an ultimately fatal swim in Salford Quays in Greater Manchester, UK, in July last year during warm weather.
He'd recently completed his GCSE examinations and was set to start the last couple of years of his education that September.
Sadly, just a few months before then, he decided to go into open water to cool down on a hot day – and never came back out alive.
Per The Mirror, at least 12 young people have died while swimming in open water in the UK since the start of May.
The deceased victims include two youngsters at Bournemouth beach last week, with an inquest hearing today there was a "suggestion" they were caught up in a riptide.
The death of Kalen – who drowned while cooling off in the water – is still being mourned by his mother, Vicky Waugh, who last week issued a warning about the dangers of going into open water on Facebook.
Sharing an article about the risks associated with cooling off in the quays, Vicky wrote: "I seriously beg you all please don't do it.... find other ways to chill in the sun especially all kalens mates with most of u living near to there."
Included in her post were six broken heart emojis.
In a separate post, the mom paid tribute to her son, the Daily Mail reports. She said: "I spent your whole life worrying about who would be there for you, or who would look after you if something ever was to happen to me, Kalen Waugh.
"For me to be here in this s*** world living this s*** life without you. Never once in all them years of worry did I think it would be this way round."
Kalen was described by New Park Academy as a "cheeky chappy who certainly kept staff on their toes."
The school's principal Almut Bever-Warren told The Mirror: "Kalen was a very popular student with us, he had a college placement for September, mum was very proud of him that he had sat his GCSEs, the first in the family.
"I had spoken to the parents of the Year 11 lads who Kalen had been with on Saturday night while we were waiting [at the scene] because I didn't want them to hear it via social media.
"You might be aware we are a special school, I didn't call an assembly, I went class by class, I've been here for 17 years and I've never cried, but I cried whilst I told them what it was like waiting with mum for the body to be retrieved.
"I said to them I do not want to stand there again with one of your mums and the children were very respectful and accepted that."
Our thoughts are with Kalen's friends and family as we approach the first anniversary of his untimely passing.
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