On the seven-month anniversary of their child’s drowning death, a Quebec family is celebrating new life — the birth of a new drinkable yoghurt named after their late daughter with proceeds going to the Lifesaving Society.
After a painful summer grieving the loss of three-year-old Frederique, the Kaiser family has found a new purpose.
“We want to get the message out there and help save lives,” said Frederique’s father Christian Kaiser, who is co-owner of Laiterie Chagnon. “Why not take this product and help save lives and have other families not have to go through what we have gone through.”
Frederique Kaiser drowned in her family pool on July 4, 2020.
Without a splash, without a sound — she jumped into the pool without her life jacket, the family said.
READ MORE: Quebec drownings up sharply in 2020 as advocates say pandemic, warm summer to blame
“It’s not easy to see your inanimate child (right there in front of you). It’s an image that’ll stay in my head for the rest of my life,” said Marie-Pier Lévesque, Frederique’s mother.
The little girl was full of life and to honour that, the family created her favourite treat bearing her nickname “Fredou.”
The face of Fredou yoghurt is Fredou herself as a little calf with her signature pigtails. The rainbow crest is a symbol of her vivacious personality and her love for all things colourful and magical.
The new drinkable yoghurt created at Laiterie Chagnon in Waterloo, Que., will be sold at IGA stores across the province. Proceeds of each yoghurt will be donated to the Lifesaving Society’s “swim to survive” program which teaches children how to swim.
“Fredou will be everywhere in all Quebec homes — my Fredou lives everywhere,” said Lévesque.
Rule number one is to never take your eyes off a child in the pool, said the family.
According to the Lifesaving Society, only 20 per cent of children can swim to survive in a deep end.
The Lifesaving Society recorded 95 deaths by drowning in 2020, compared to 58 in 2019.
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