A woman who died trying to rescue her two sons had been celebrating her 10th anniversary in the Bahamas.
Stapleford woman Leanne Gregory had been on holiday with her husband Nathan and their sons when on Tuesday (20 October) when the boys were swept away while snorkelling off the coast of Bimini.
The parents went out into the sea to try and rescue them and the 36-year-old woman was also swept away in her attempts to rescue her children.
Both children were rescued from the water, but Leanne did not survive and Nathan credited her actions with ensuring both of the children lived.
The rest of the family have since returned to the UK.
Writing on a GoFundMe, which you can donate to here, the widower described her holding onto one of their sons ‘until he was rescued’ before explaining that ‘a freak wave swept the boat away from her’ and Leanne ‘didn’t have the energy to save herself’.
Leanne, Nathan and their sons had been snorkelling in the Bahamas when the children were swept away by a current (Facebook/Leanne Gregory)
He said that the family was going through an unimaginable loss and that Leanne ‘was our foundation, our support, she made us who we are’.
“We were childhood sweethearts, my one and only. 22 years into our relationship at only 36-years-old,” Nathan wrote in a tribute to his wife.
“We had our whole lives ahead of us and it has all been taken away. I just have to be thankful for the hero she was in life and in death, and totally grateful for the fact my boys got out safely.
“Thankful for the people in the boat that noticed me flag it down after I struggled out the water, and got them out. Thankful to the lady that helped me try bring her back when the boat returned.
“Thankful for my boys for remaining strong after seeing something nobody should ever see. But mainly thankful to my brave, amazing wife for keeping my boy above the water even as you were sinking.
“You will be forever loved by everyone you knew and I know you will continue to watch over us.”
Nathan said that his wife kept the boys from going underwater long enough to be rescued (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The couple had been due to celebrate 10 years since their wedding in December and had travelled to the Bahamas as an early holiday for it.
The Foreign Office said they were providing support to the family and were in contact with the local authorities.
A spokesperson for the Royal Bahamas Police said that officers at their Alice Town police station were told at around 10am that ‘a female was unresponsive at the North Bimini Ferry Dock’.
They said that when they arrived at the dock the woman had been taken to a local clinic where a doctor had attempted to save her life, but she was subsequently pronounced dead.
“Preliminary information indicates that the deceased was snorkelling with her husband and two sons near the southern point of the island when a strong current reportedly swept both children away,” the police said.
“In an attempt to rescue her sons, the woman was also swept away. She was later rescued and transported to the ferry dock, where CPR was reportedly administered.
“Foul play is not suspected at this time. An autopsy will be conducted to assist in determining the exact cause of death.”
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