Hi my name is Desiree Whisman and I am a born and raised Texan. I spent most of my childhood living in the Mid-cities area and I currently live in there with my husband and four children. I graduated from Austin College in 2000 with a BA in Biology. I taught high school biology and physics for two years before moving to Florida with my husband. In Florida, I went back to school and graduated with
an Associate Degree in Nursing (RN). I always had a love for the medical field and children and I began working in pediatrics while in Florida. When my husband and I decided to move back to Texas to be closer to family and start a family of our own, I joined Children's Medical Center in January of 2007. I worked in general pediatrics for one and a half years and then in 2008, I transferred to the Cardiac ICU where I have worked for 2008-2013. I love being a nurse and working with the sweet heart babies that come through the unit, but it can be a very emotional job. I help make a difference in the lives of these families and I help save lives, but I do so in a reactive way. As a Self-Rescue Swim Instructor, I am proactive in working with families of young ones to provide an extra layer of protection. I learned of self-rescue swim lessons from a friend after my first daughter was born in 2008. I wanted to enroll her but at that time we did not have a pool nor have any family that had a pool. In 2011, we bought a house in Colleyville with a pool and the day we received the keys, I had a pool fence installed. The house also has an alarm system that chimes every time a door is opened. Even with these two security measures my anxiety level was still so high with regards to the safety of my children. I tried for 2 summers to have my children in lessons and at the end of the second summer I was finally able to enroll them. I had to drive to three different locations over a 6 week period, but I was willing to do whatever it took to have them in lessons. I now have four children fully skilled and trained in self-rescue techniques. In my search for lessons I realized how few Instructors there were at the time, especially in my area. This was my second motivating factor for becoming an Instructor. I want to be able to provide these lifesaving skills to as many children and families as possible. It breaks my heart to hear the stories on the news and see and care for the families in the hospital, especially when drowning is preventable. If I can save one life, then it will be a success; but I want to save as many as possible and ensure Not One More. I became an instructor in 2013 and have been teaching ever since. Today, I share the mission with many others across the nation and world of “Not One More.” This is my "why" and keeps me motivated each and every day. As of 12/31/22 I have taught over 500 children, including families that have suffered a drowning accident. Each year I receive stories from families of children that have utilized the skills I have taught them. I look forward to teaching many more children in our goal to achieve "Not One More."
