SOUTH HAVEN, MI. — Cheers erupted at South Haven's South Beach on Monday as lifeguards reported for duty for the first time in more than two decades, a moment years in the making for the mother who fought to make it happen.
WATCH: 'I have to for my daughter': Grieving mom watches lifeguards return to South Haven
"I'm so grateful that I'm here to witness this epic event. This is huge, they haven't done this in 25 years," Lisa MacDonald said.
MacDonald has pushed for lifeguards at South Beach since her 19-year-old daughter Emily and 22-year-old boyfriend Kory drowned in 2022. In the years since, she made it her mission to bring lifeguards back.
Monday was the first time MacDonald had walked South Beach since the drownings in 2022, but she said the drive to keep fighting never wavered.
"I thought I have to for my daughter so that other families hopefully don't have to ever go through this," MacDonald said.
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Grieving mom turns tragedy into change as lifeguards return to South Haven
As she watched lifeguards take their posts, MacDonald said the years of fighting for change had finally paid off.
"I'm very grateful that the city of South Haven is finally recognizing their tourists and beach goers as a priority and taking care of them,” MacDonald said. “That was my whole goal is I wanted them to respect and protect the people that come to this beach not knowing how dangerous it can be.”
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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