After Daughter’s Drowning Death, Bode and Morgan Miller Speak out

U.S. skiing legend Bode Miller and his wife Morgan appeared on NBC’s Today to spread awareness about infant drowning after the Millers lost their one-year-old daughter in a pool accident in June.

“It’s an obligation, to some degree,” said Miller. “I think it does, in some way, help to heal a little bit that maybe we’re preventing it from happening to somebody else.”

Emmy Miller passed away after falling into a neighbor’s pool near the family’s Southern California home in early June. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children between the ages of one and four and the Millers hope to spread awareness of just how quickly a tragedy like theirs can happen.

The Millers said that Emmy was able to squeeze through a tiny opening in a doorway as she and the other children were playing, just feet from their parents, before falling in the pool. Morgan immediately began CPR and Emmy was rushed to an Orange County hospital but was unable to be revived and passed away the following day.

“We have the choice to live our days with purpose to make sure that no other parent has to feel what we’re feeling,” said Morgan. “All of a sudden it was just too quiet for me. We were mid conversation and I stood up and I turned and I walked right to where the boys were and I said, ‘Where is Emmy?'”

“It’s the number one way that you can potentially lose your kid,” shared Bode. “If it’s number one, for me, I want to know about it. I’ve been to all the pediatrician’s meetings and check-ups on our kids and I can’t say that it’s come up one time. Not a single time.”

At their family home, the Millers do have safety measures in place that prevent easy access to their pool, which is frequently used by their children. The Millers hope to encourage parents of young children to be hyper-vigilant whenever they are near water in hopes of preventing future tragedies like theirs.