“The worst day of my life is the day both my kids died,” said Paul Demello, who was then a father of three boys. “I lost my twin boys, Joshua and Christian, in a backyard swimming pool drowning.”

It happened on January 16, 2010. Demello had dropped off his 1-yearold sons for a visit at their grandparents’ house. The toddlers had been playing in the TV room — safe, or so everyone thought. But somehow, they made their way to the backyard, where an unfenced swimming pool awaited.

That’s where their mother found them.

It was a phone call that Demello will never forget.

“I remember hearing the screams,” he said. “Real loud screams.”

In an instant, his life was shattered. “It was one of those things I never saw happening,” he said. “And when it did happen, it rocked my world. I actually wanted to check out a lot of times. I cried a lot. That first year and a half, it was like someone cut my legs off. I just couldn’t get out of bed. I went to bed crying. I woke up crying.”

Joshua died immediately. But Christian lived for three days. In that short window, there was just enough time for his organs to be donated — a small comfort in the midst of unbearable loss.

Five days after Christian’s death, Demello received word that his son’s kidneys had saved the life of a 19-year-old woman. For Demello, the news was surreal — heartbreaking and healing all at once.

“I was crying and smiling at the same time,” he said. “There was something about helping others — it’s almost like a therapy. That’s when I knew I had to do something. Anything. I wanted to turn all my pain into a gift for others.”

That desire quickly turned into a mission.

“There were people who came up to me and said, ‘Hey, you remember Mothers Against Drunk Driving? Why don’t we do something about this?’ And that’s how Just Against Children Drowning was formed.”

JACD — Just Against Children Drowning — became Demello’s platform to educate families, raise awareness, and advocate for drowning prevention. But as the organization grew, he felt something was missing — a clear, focused message that could drive real change.

He began meeting with other grieving parents and joined the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. It was at one of his first meetings that someone offered the advice that would reshape his efforts: “Try to focus on what would have changed your situation.”

For Demello, the answer was immediate.

“Absolutely the fence,” he said. “It is something tangible. Something that would have slowed them down. Something that would have given their mother enough time to locate them.”

He’s heard all the excuses — that fences are unattractive or inconvenient — and he’s quick to shut them down.

“There are people who call it an ugly pool fence — I’m like, it’s only temporary. It’s not forever. It’s either that or a coffin,” Demello said. “We actually had an open coffin. We had two kids lying in an open coffin.”

That reality drives everything he does.

“I think some people just don’t think it’s going to happen to them,” he said. “It’s too late once it happens. And the fence is not forever. You can remove it; you can put it back. It’s a tool. It’s a device. These fences are saving lives.”

Demello became laser-focused on helping families access that tool. He partnered with Florida’s Department of Children and Families to provide free pool safety fences to families in the child welfare system.

“The fence was something tangible,” he said. “I believe my kids would be alive today if there was a fence.”

And it’s not just about fences. To Demello, drowning prevention belongs in the same category as other public safety measures.

“From the bike helmet to car seatbelts, you know — it works,” he said.

Still, the pain never leaves. “I miss my boys,” he said. “One of the toughest things I’ve had to do was survive this — survive my emotions.”

But Demello remains committed to the effort, day after day.

“I’m a dad on a mission. If only you could have seen how I was when they were here: It was like hitting the lottery. I really enjoyed being a dad. What I’m really trying to do is keep their spirit alive here on earth through selfless labor. It’s almost like a form of therapy for me. It’s an opportunity and it’s a privilege. Probably one of the greatest opportunities I have is to share that story about my boys.”

That story, he believes, has the power to save lives.

“Always thinking about the solution and trying to turn that tragedy into a gift for others so they don’t have to go through the same thing,” he said.

But over the years, Demello has watched the drownings continue. And that’s what drives him — the knowledge that a story like his can be stopped before it starts. Through his pain, through his purpose, Paul Demello is doing everything he can to make sure no other parent has to endure what he did.

“It’s almost predictable,” he said. “It’s definitely preventable,”.

Joshua and Christian Demello Paul Demello’s twin boys who drowned in a backyard swimming pool.

If you have children, grandchildren, or children in your neighborhood that can access your pool, don’t wait, take action: Prioritize pool safety by getting a reliable, climb-resistant pool safety fence!