It is quite early in summer that the world of a family in Florida exploded.
It was supposed to be a fun day on the water, but it became a nightmare and a minute of unforgettable heroism.
Jordan Roe was eleven years old and her heart was as big as her smile. She was referred to as the protector of her family by other family members and she never thought of herself first. She did it one final time Tuesday, June 24 when she gave her life to save her 8-year-old cousin, Laila, in a disastrous tubing accident that has plunged a community into heartbreak.
The children were on a family barbecue and tubing at the Star Lake in the Florida border between Putnam and Alachua County. Sea-Doo Jet Ski Jordan, Laila and Brylee who was 9 years at the time was being driven on behind the jet ski when they rammed into a dock. WCJB explained that the force threw all the three children in the water.
In the beginning not everyone knew what to do. Officials were not quick to establish who the victims were and initial reports falsely registered that the 8-year-old was dead. Jordan was the one that did not make it.
Whereas Brylee sustained small bruises, Laila was sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. she has since had a number of operations- and her family claims that it is only by the last act of love that Jordan did that helped her stay alive.
Her aunt said: the protector of their family was a brave girl name Jordan as she had sacrificed her life and saved the life of her cousin using her life.
At the time when she received the call that no parent wants to receive, Kristine Robinson was in Tampa with her newborn baby in a NICU since she is the mother of Laila and Brylee.
She is now encouraging other families to love their ones and be water-safe.
I would tell everybody, squeeze your babies close to you, Robinson said to WJHG and added: “We all want to have fun with our children. Mind you.”
Notwithstanding her condition, Laila keeps on fighting even in the pediatric ICU of the hospital where she is lying. Her relatives are keeping the hope, as little girl with a big heart is eager to come back to life, to her mother, her newborn baby brother, and to her own cousin who made possible her recovery.
Since the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the incident, they have requested people to provide any video evidence and any eyewitness accounts.
The tributes have also been coming in droves in the memory of Jordan, whose love was not only limited to the family. She adored animals, wanted to be a veterinarian and she never spared an opportunity to assist a needy person.
GoFundMe fund was created in honor of Jordan by Kristine Robinson who wrote her as a free spirit and compassionate and recalled how she would wake up each morning to see where she was steady enough to treat others.
Being fond of her family, Robinson added, Jordan was killed the way she lived, defending her family. Even in her death, she remained the donor of life to other people, and that was her desire to give hope and smiles to the people who might be in need. Jordan will never be forgotten in the very lives she changed, not only in this family but also across.
The laughter, love and joy that you brought will remain in our hearts all the time. You were our light, you will always be our light in our lives, and I will always remember you this way, wrote family friend Allison Hadley in a sobbing Facebook post.
Two GoFundMe pages are activated one to cover funeral costs of Jordan and another one on behalf of Laila and her medical costs. People have been donating zealously after the strangers around the nation are touched by the courage of Jordan.
As long-term Star Lake resident Steven Gabbard concluded, many people are feeling.
O my gosh. I cannot believe it!, he said on First Coast News. Star Lake is generally so calm. This is not the kind of tragedy you expect.
However, it is in this tragedy that Jordan himself does something to remind all of us about selflessness, love, and that kind of courage that hardly ever occurs, even to adults.
Her memory is preserved through the cousin she rescued and hundreds and thousands of people who are inspired by her story.