Family of Woman, 53, Who Died Saving Her Grandchildren from Drowning Remember Her 'Selflessness and Courage'

Robecca Garrett saved her 8-year-old and 10-year-old grandchildren from Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma before drowning on March 22

NEED TO KNOW

• Roebecca Garrett saved her 8-year-old and 10-year-old grandchildren from Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma, on Sunday, March 22
• Garrett, 53, died in the hospital, having subsequently come into trouble in the waters herself
• “We are heartbroken, and the weight of this loss is almost too much to bear,” a family member wrote on a GoFundMe appeal organized to cover her funeral expenses

An Oklahoma grandmother is being honored for her act of heroism before her death.

At around 3:10 p.m. local time on Sunday, March 22, Roebecca Garrett saved two children from drowning at the 9 South Swim Area on Lake Eufaula, Pittsburgh County, KOKO5 News and News on 6 reported, citing the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

Garrett, 53, was then pulled out of the lake by two bystanders after going under the water herself, according to the outlets. An ambulance rushed her to the McAlester Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

A family member identified the two children involved in the incident as Garrett’s 8-year-old and 10-year-old grandchildren on a GoFundMe page organized to cover funeral expenses. 

“Her selflessness and courage are a testament to the kind of person she was, always putting her family first, no matter the cost,” the fundraiser’s description reads. 

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The description continues: “The shock and pain of losing her so suddenly is something my sisters and I are still struggling to process. We are heartbroken, and the weight of this loss is almost too much to bear.”

The fundraiser’s organizer emphasized that Garrett’s death was “unexpected,” therefore, the family is not financially prepared to give her “the farewell she deserves.”

“We are reaching out to our community for prayers and donations during this incredibly difficult time,” the GoFundMe description adds. “Any support—whether it’s a contribution, a kind word, or sharing our story—means the world to us.”

As of Tuesday, March 31, almost $3,000 has been donated towards the family’s $4,000 goal.

Garrett’s death came around a month after a Saint Francis Health System expansion was announced amid work at the old Epic Medical Center Hospital, per 2 News. The medical center is half the distance west of McAlester Regional Hospital, where Garrett died.

She journeyed 30 minutes to the hospital after being pulled from water that was just 53 degrees, the outlet reported, citing the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. It is unknown whether Garrett would have survived had emergency services been able to get her to the hospital sooner.

"As a tourist community, we're only about 2,800 people throughout the year, but in the summer we get up to 10,000 people,” Eufaula City Manager Jacob Foos told 2 News just 12 days before Garrett’s death. 

“Especially around the lake, we can be prone to accidents, and we need that urgent care," Foos added. "One great thing is up on the hill, we have air evacuation with the helicopter, so they can get them up there and get that urgent care, then get them in that helicopter if they need to get them to a major hospital."

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment on Tuesday, March 31.

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