An Edmonton woman is dead after drowning while on vacation in Hawaii for her 30th wedding anniversary.
Debbie Lee-Victoria L’Hirondelle, 52, and her husband Pat arrived in Maui on Aug. 21 for a 10-day trip.
On their third day, they decided to rent some snorkeling gear and spend some time in the water.
The pair, who are both strong swimmers and have snorkelled in the past, spent some time in the water near Keawakapu Beach looking at turtles and fish.
“We swam around for a bit and that time I told Debbie, ‘I’m getting a bit tired, I’m going to get back,’ and she said, ‘OK, me too. I’ll be right behind you,’” Pat said on Sunday.
“Those were the last few words I heard out of my Debbie.”
Pat said he looked behind him when he got to a spot where he could stand, but he couldn’t see Debbie.
“I couldn’t see her gear – all the gear was the same colour from the shop we rented from. Then I saw her and I looked. I thought, ‘She sure is swimming close to the rocks, she’s supposed to be behind me.’ That’s when I realized she had no gear on. She was floating upside down.”
Pat quickly swam back to Debbie and scrambled to get her closer to shore. He started screaming for help and soon bystanders jumped into action.
The Maui Fire Department said Debbie was brought back to shore on a paddleboard and that two nurses, a doctor and a firefighter – who all happened to be on vacation – started performing CPR. Paramedics arrived minutes later and tried to save her.
“I expected anytime now she’s going to come out, she’s going to be mad as hell at me for what happened,” Pat said, with his voice breaking.
Paramedics said ultimately, they needed his permission to stop CPR.
“It broke my heart when I told them, ‘Stop.’ I didn’t want to let her go.
“I held her hand and I talked to her. I put her hand to my face and I knew she was gone,” Pat said before breaking down into tears.
He said the coroner later told him Debbie had drowned, adding she had water in her nasal passage and chest cavity.
A love story
For Pat, the loss is enormous. The pair met through friends almost 31 years ago, a meeting after which Debbie initially told friends she did not want to see Pat again.
But after a few months apart, the two met up again and according to Pat, “We just fell in love.”
“Debbie’s interests were very family-oriented. She loved being with people. She’s always been the backbone for me,” he said.
The pair dated for six months before getting married. They then had two sons – Jarrod, 25, and Cole, 16. For their 25th wedding anniversary, the two went to Maui and had such a good time, they decided to return for their 30th wedding anniversary.
Upon arriving back in Edmonton, Pat discovered a card Debbie had put in their luggage that was meant for him.
“It just broke my heart. She wrote, ‘You’re my only one and after 30 years, you’re still my only one.’”
‘The glue’ of the family
For son Jarrod, the impact of Debbie’s death is immeasurable.
“She was the glue that held us together,” he said, adding he was in shock and disbelief when his father first called with the news a week-and-a-half ago.
“It was supposed to be their time to relax and enjoy vacation and get away from the stress of work. For something like this to happen is unbelievable.”
Jarrod, who calls the drowning a “freak accident,” said he now has some reservations about going in the water.
Jarrod, who wants his mother remembered for how she reinforced the need for respect and tolerance, said the drowning is a tough reminder.
As for Pat, he hopes others think twice and take precautions when heading out into the water.
“You [have to be] familiar with your surroundings as well as very familiar with your equipment,” he said.
Support from his sons, family and friends are helping Pat through this difficult time, but he admits that life without his confidante will be tough.
“It’s a hard life now – a home you build together, a family you built… she’s just the best person I ever met,” he said.
“I love you forever. I’ll never forget you, ever. A piece of my heart is gone with her. A couple friends have suggested another angel is up there – a very beautiful angel.”
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