EACH time the sun comes out and she sees children out playing, Vicky Waugh is filled with panic.
It's been two years since the 34-year-old lost her only child, Kalen and the pain still remains.
The 16-year-old got into difficulty after entering the water at Salford Quays to cool off during a heatwave in 2022. His devastated mother had to wait overnight before his body was recovered and his death was confirmed.
She has been unable to go near water ever since and was too distressed to take balloons to the spot where he died on his birthday.
"Kalen was my only son, I was a single mum and so we were inseparable. We did everything together," said Vicky, who was just 15 when she fell pregnant with Kalen and was supported by her mum, Dawn and nanna Sandra.
"My recurring worry was how he'd cope if anything ever happened to me. Not for a moment did I think he would die first.
"He wasn't even planning to swim that day, but he was a strong swimmer and a fit, young lad. If it can happen to him, it can happen to anyone."
She added: "Two years on, my life is a blur. I miss him so much and I have not been able to enter his bedroom. It is just as he left it."
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