Heroic Oshawa mom who drowned saving son was boy's 'everything'
Brad Hunter, Postmedia News (bhunter@postmedia.com)
Published: Jul 16, 2019 at 6:27 p.m.
Updated: Jul 16, 2019 at 8:27 p.m.
Every child should have a mom like Nicole McWatters.
The courageous Oshawa woman died Sunday in a selfless act of love.
She sacrificed her own life in the frigid waters of Lake Ontario to save her six-year-old son off a Pickering beach.
"She worked so hard to provide the best possible life she could for him. She spent every waking moment with him. She was there for him through thick and thin, happiness and sadness," friend Dane Watts wrote on a GoFundMe page to raise money for the boy.
McWatters, 33, went into the lake at Frenchman's Bay to help her unnamed son who was riding a unicorn floaty but had drifted too far from shore.
According to Durhamregion.com, people on the shore began shouting because McWatters appeared in distress.
It's believed the cold water may have caused her muscles to seize.
Two men entered the water to rescue the pair but McWatters wasn't moving. Heroic efforts to try and revive her failed.
"I didn't sleep last night," one of the rescuers, David Rowan told Durhamregion.com.
"I'm sure all the people involved are in shock. We were all part of a terrible situation. You keep playing it over in your head. You come home and you're hoping she's going to survive. And then to hear she passed away."
The boy got to shore, safe and sound. His mother drowned and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
"She was his everything. He didn't only lose a mother, but a best friend, his rock, his everything," her sister wrote.
Watts added: "She touched and spread so much light on this world. Her smile could brighten your soul, her love was untouchable, her beauty was breathtaking, her friendship was everything, her advice was second to none, her voice was uplifting, and her kindness couldn't be matched."
The family is hoping the money raised via GoFundMe will help the boy deal with the tragedy and provide him with the education and care he needs.
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