‘KIDS DON’T DROWN THEMSELVES’ ROXIE FORBES’ PARENTS STAND UP FOR THEIR CHILD AND OTHERS BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
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Roxie Forbes suffered from CVID, common variable immunodeficiency, a disorder that impairs the immune system. People with CVID are highly susceptible to infection from foreign invaders such as bacteria or, more rarely, viruses and often develop recurrent infections, particularly in the lungs, sinuses and ears. Photo courtesy Doug Forbes
oxie Forbes was the center of Doug Forbes and Elena Matyas’ universe. Some would say she still is. This month marks the one-year anniversary of the 6-year-old Pasadena girl’s death. She drowned at the Summerkids Camp in Altadena on June 28, 2019. “It took me 41 years to bring a child into the world,” Matyas says. “She was everything we could have asked for and more. She was a wonderful, compassionate bright light. Her kindergarten teacher recently said to me the mold was broken after Roxie was made.” Before the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine, on February 10, Forbes and Matyas paired with state Sen. Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge, to introduce legislation— SB 955, the Roxie Rules Act—that aims to provide more oversight of California summer camps. “Everything is on hold because of COVID-19, but it’s a robust bill,” Forbes says. In researching camp safety issues, Forbes and Matyas discovered that more than a million children attend thousands of California camps and these camps are largely unregulated. Summerkids Camp, according to the LA County Department of Public Health, did not have an operating license. (It will not hold camp this summer due to COVID-19, per a statement on its website.) “As a father myself, I cannot begin to comprehend what has happened to the Forbes family,” Portantino says. “Losing a child is the single worst thing that can happen to a parent. It hurts even more because we know that this was a preventable tragedy. I am very grateful that Roxie’s family is channeling their tremendous grief to make sure that tragedies such as this do not happen again. I want to commend them for all the work they have done to raise awareness and knowledge of the gaps in state law regarding recreational camps.” Thirty-eight states—but not California—have some sort of statewide camp regulations. This bill will correct this omission in state law and bring camps in line with other regulated services such as day care facilities, Forbes says. “We subsequently discovered that the vast majority of California summer day camps do not have child care licenses because the state and the counties do not require them to have such licenses,” Forbes adds. “Overnight camps are required to have licenses, but the inspections and oversight for all camps are woefully inadequate. Multiple children have died over the last decade; more have been victims of sexual predating and other issues.” The Roxie Rules bill requires camps employ more health and safety measures, including background checks, emergency action plans, mandated reporter training and implementation, health and aquatics supervisors, proper safety certifications for rifle ranges, ziplining, horseback, aquatics, rock climbing and other activities. The couple established the nonprofit Meow Meow Foundation—named after Roxie’s feline comfort doll—to educate the public about this oversight. The couple is developing California’s first end-to-end drowning prevention solution, and they’re suing DiMassa for wrongful death. “We’re trying to be as careful as we can be,” Forbes says. “Not because of the lawsuit, but when you have a child die in a wholly preventable circumstance, a child care facility should take a step back, take a deep breath and say, ‘Wow.’” Matyas adds, “Drowning is the second leading cause of death for 0- to 4-year-old children. “It was stunning when we found that out as well. We are going to create the state’s first endto-end drowning prevention solution. It’s going to describe the best swim lesson regimen, the best pool safety gear and swim safety gear, the best pool fence alarms, and life jackets. We’re putting together the curriculum so it can be taught in schools—public and private.” continued on page 10
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