Mother of two toddlers who drowned speaks up

A family in mourning says they are grateful for the support of the community - News 11's Arlette Yousif reports

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The mother of the two toddlers who sadly drowned last week in their family pool spoke on the record for the first time.

Through tears, the grieving mother shared her gratitude to the community during this difficult time.

Mother Kayla Ramirez says it’s been challenging since the sudden loss of her two toddler boys, one and two-year-old Xavier and Damien Ramirez.

"I wanna thank everybody in the community for all of the love and support towards us and, you know, the loss of our boys and I honestly don’t think we’d be able to make it through this difficult time as much as we have been without everybody’s support," says Mother Kayla Ramirez.

Kayla along with her husband Benjamin Ramirez found out about the latest fundraiser for the family during our conversation.

"This is honestly the first time we’re hearing about it. My husband just pulled up the flyer for it. Honestly, that’s just amazing to us. These people didn’t even know us or our boys and they’re here," explains Ramirez.

But Rey Gulley says that doesn’t matter.

"Stranger? When something like that happens in our community, I think 'stranger' goes right out the door and we should be right behind that couple, especially a young couple like that losing, you know, the one and two-year-old is very powerful. I think that we should be behind them as a community to support them through these troubling times," says Beast Factory CrossFit Owner Rey Gulley.

Beast Factory CrossFit, Na Koa Fitness, and Babe Cave Fitness are joining forces to bring what’s called a Jump-A-Thon. It is free to the community in hopes of receiving donations. If you would like to participate, you are encouraged to contact any of these facilities.

This fundraiser is in addition to the GoFundMe account set up for the Ramirez family previously shared.