The New Jersey mother of a 6-year-old boy who drowned in a pool on the first day of summer camp said her son was so excited about going swimming that he went to bed the night before "with his goggles on," according to a report.
Michael Stewart, who drowned Monday at Liberty Lake Day Camp at the Burlington County campground, couldn't contain his excitement to go swimming, his mother, Enjoli Stewart, said.
The mom recalled telling a coworker about her son arriving at summer camp and how thrilled he was to go to the pool.
"Someone asked me how my day was going and I told them about Michael and how Michael fell asleep the night before with his goggles on, and he was excited about swimming and then my phone rang and I was told I needed to rush to Mount Holly-Virtua," she told KYW-TV.
The 6-year-old was found unresponsive in the pool around 2 p.m., and authorities said staff members performed life-saving measures to revive him before an ambulance arrived. He died at the hospital.
Enjoli Stewart said her son, who was born at 23 weeks, had always been a fighter.
"Michael was in a rush to get into this world," Stewart said, noting that he weighed one pound, 3 ounces at birth.
She said doctors told her that it was unlikely he would live a normal life if he survived, but he proved them wrong.
"My son was eager," she said. "He was eager about everything."
Stewart was part of an inclusion program for children with special needs, WPVI-TV reported.
The mom said Michael's determination gave her a valuable lesson.
"Michael taught me how to fight and he taught me to fight without using my hands," Stewart said. "He taught me how to fight in a different manner."
The camp's owner, Andy Pritikin, said, "All of us ... are devastated and grieving over the tragic passing of our young camper" in a statement to KYW.
