Emily MacDonald

On that August day in 2022, Emily and Kory had decided to go to the beach. They both loved the water and wanted to get that one last trip in before they had to go their separate ways.

They were swimming under a yellow flag that day on South Beach in South Haven. A yellow flag means enter the water with caution. Had it been a red flag (which in the opinion of experts, it should have been), they wouldn’t have gone into the water. The flag system is meant to be maintained by trained people, like lifeguards, to reflect real-time water conditions. South Haven did not have lifeguards at the time and the flag system isn’t maintained as it should be. It is a flawed safety system that many beach towns rely on to promote safety. In these situations, these flags are often inaccurate and lead to a false sense of safety for unsuspecting beachgoers.

Both Emily and Kory were good swimmers. Emily grew up on Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron. She was very aware of currents. Sadly, the rip currents of Lake Michigan and the structural currents surrounding the pier were too much to overcome and they found themselves in a water emergency

Emily was unconscious in the water! She was spotted by beachgoers who jumped in and brought her to shore. As other beachgoers were attempting to revive her, Kory was spotted in the water. He was also unconscious. Frantic beachgoers attempted CPR on both before first-responders arrived. Neither regained consciousness. Drowning is quiet and quick and often goes unnoticed. By the time drowning victims are spotted, it is usually too late. A parent’s worst nightmare became an excruciating nightmare that continues to torment our families to this day.

Given the history of drownings at South Beach, South Haven, MI, the experts and we believe there should have been lifeguards there who can monitor the water as it changes, change the flags in real-time and keep beach goers safe.

Lake Michigan drownings make up more than 50% of drowning in Michigan. South Haven does not have lifeguards stationed at the beach to keep visitors safe. Despite decades of outcry from the South Haven community, expert groups, and victim’s families, the city refused to put lifeguards in place prior to this. They hadn’t had a lifeguard program in over 25 years! Dozens of people of all ages and swimming abilities have drowned there as a result.

As Emily’s mom, I found this was unacceptable. Drowning is preventable and this city knew the dangers of the lake and had not sufficiently kept tourists safe. I launched myself into a fight many thought was impossible. I started a Facebook group called Save Live…Hire Lifeguards and began collecting facts, data and stories from other drowning victims from that same beach. Armed with this, I approached the city with the idea of reinstating a lifeguard program. Nothing would bring back my daughter and her boyfriend, ease our horrific pain, or mend our broken hearts but I had to do something! It was my goal to get lifeguards back on the beach in hopes of sparing others the fate Emily and Kory had. It was my hope to prevent other families from going through this type of grief. It was a long and often emotionally draining fight that lasted over 3.5 years. Finally, after years of active involvement in this cause, I succeeded. With the help of water safety advocates and experts and other dedicated supporters, we got South Haven to reinstate their lifeguard program on Memorial Day 2026. It was a bitter sweet day to say the least. Realizing that this historic event happened because Emily and Kory had drowned was crushing, but knowing we are saving lives is important. Only a few weeks after the lifeguards hit the sand, they had to perform their first rescue. This is proof that lifeguards are needed and that our fight was worth it.

Moving forward, please hold Emily and Kory in your hearts. Please do all you can to make your water experiences as safe as possible. Visit Save Lives…Hire Lifeguards on Facebook to learn how to do this. To learn even more visit The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project’s website. Together, let’s continue to save lives in Emily and Kory’s memory