Parents of Daughter Who Drowned at Summer Camp Work to Spare Other Families Their Anguish

Roxie Mirabelle Forbes was only 6 when she drowned in the shallow end of her summer camp's pool, and her parents have devoted themselves to trying to make sure other families don't have to endure their anguish.

Doug Forbes and Elena Matyas established the Meow Meow Foundation after their daughter's death at the Summerkids Camp in Los Angeles County to promote drowning awareness and public safety.

"We never want another parent to live the life we live. We live a miserable experience," Matyas told Inside Edition.

Her husband urges parents to carefully consider where they send their children for a summer getaway.

"You can do all the research you want, ask all the questions you want, but at the end of the day, you're leaving your child with someone else's care," Forbes said.

Matyas remembers only too well getting the call informing her that Roxie had been pulled from the Altadena camp's pool. According to the parents, four camp counselors were on life guard duty that day, but didn't notice the child floating face down in the water. After another counselor saw the girl, she was pulled from the pool and given CPR, but it was too late.

"I knew at that moment it was not going to be good," her mother said.

The parents have sued the camp for negligence in connection with Roxie's death. In court papers, the facility denies any wrongdoing.

“Our hearts go out to the Forbes family regarding the tragic accident involving Roxie, the only such accident in the 43-year history of our camp," Summerkids said in a statement to Inside Edition. "We will continue to vigorously defend our dedicated staff members and our camp and are looking forward to a full airing of the facts.”

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