‘How can God do this to me again?’ Limerick mum in water safety appeal after tragedy

THE GRIEF-STRICKEN “second mum” of a teenager who tragically died in a jet ski accident has made a poignant plea for people to wear life jackets to stay safe in open water this summer.

Sandra Byrnes was speaking after the death of up-and-coming soccer star Wassiou 'Leon' Ayawe, who drowned after handing over his life jacket to someone else on the day of the tragedy at the lake in Killaloe where the jet ski overturned in the water.

“They say everything happens for a reason. But what's this reason? Why take him? He was out enjoying his life. To do a good deed and give someone else his life jacket. I just can't fathom it. The world was his oyster,” said Sandra of the 19-year-old.

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Sandra brought Wassiou into her life when he was only nine weeks old, and cared for him on and off throughout his upbringing. His biological mother Tracey was previously a family friend.

Sandra’s appeal comes just days after a young mum died while trying to rescue her son who was facing difficulties swimming off the coast of Cork.

Now, mum-of-four Sandra has found the incredible strength and resilience to organise a soccer tournament “to keep Wassiou’s legacy alive” and ensure an increase in life-saving equipment for swimmers at Killaloe.

The event will take place on July 9, the day before Wassiou would have turned 20. All the money raised is going to the Irish Coastguard in Killaloe alongside Killaloe and Ballina Search and Recovery.

“If Wassiou had kept his life jacket on, he'd be here to tell the tale," Sandra said.

When the heartbreaking news of the incident in late May came through to Sandra, she was sunbathing in her back garden with daughter Paige who was reading to her own baby.

She recalled how a bird with a broken wing was flying around the garden. It was at almost the same time, Wassiou tragically passed away.

Struggling to keep the tears at bay, Sandra recalled receiving the dreadful news from one of Wassiou’s nine siblings, his sister Tiana, and driving from her home in St Patrick’s Road in the city to Killaloe.

It's the second time HSE worker Sandra has experienced tragedy, with her daughter Yasmin-Lee Williams passing away in 2019 aged only 24.

“I got into the car, and I don't remember driving. I could have been killed. I just had to get there. I was tearing up,” she said of the journey to Killaloe.

It was when she hit the outskirts of Killaloe and she saw the Irish Coastguard helicopter overhead, Sandra broke down.

“I got as far as Gala and Yum-Yums. When I saw that helicopter hovering over my head, I just thought: How can God do this to me again? Last time it was my daughter and now it's my first brown boy,” she said.

“He looked so peaceful. I was waiting for him to wake up and say ‘What's the story, Sandra?’. There was not a mark on him, he looked so beautiful.”

Wassiou's former club Pike Rovers, on the city's southside, will play host to the six-a-side tournament, held in conjunction with the RNLI, Waterways Ireland and the Irish Coastguard.

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On the day of the tournament, his brothers Jordan - who was not just Wassiou's brother, but also “best friend” - and Mohamed, plus sisters Tiana, Aaieshah and Abbie will form a team in memory of the young man.

Sandra described Wassiou's heart as being “made of nine-carat gold”.

“He had the biggest heart - he'd give you his last euro. He'd always give to others before himself,” she said. “When he first came into my life at nine weeks old, I remember his big huge lips and chocolate brown eyes. And that infectious laughter, his smile would light up a room.”

But like all children, Wassiou - had his vulnerabilities.

“He was always afraid of the dark - he used to sleep with the night light on. He was terrified of spiders.

“I had this doll since I was a baby and she was called Lucy Lou. When he'd be asleep, I'd put it under his pillow. He'd then get one step ahead of me, and check under the pillow to make sure she was not there. I'd creep in during the night and put it under the pillow, and he'd wake up and throw it out, screaming 'Sandra'!”

She wrote a poem which was read as the eulogy at the young man's funeral Mass in St Mary's Church, Athlunkard Street in the city.

“I wrote: 'No more fear of the dark, or the spider’s legs, or Lucy Lou thrown on your head. Now he is in a golden bed. His casket is golden to match his heart,” said Sandra.

It was always football first for the teenager - "everything came second", said Sandra, who admitted she was often infuriated when she couldn't get hold of him such was his focus on the match.

“He always used to say in response to me asking if he was OK, 'I'm Gucci, Sandra!'”

And he loved his three pitbulls - Fendi, Zeus and Prada.

“Nobody had a bad word to say about him, because Wassiou didn't have a had bone in his body. His gold casket matched his gold heart,” she said.

To get involved in the soccer tournament at Pike Rovers - which is hoped will become an annual event - please telephone either 087-7087031 or 087-1736263.