‘Hero’ Eastman “carried sunshine in her smile” says friend

Editor’s note; an earlier version of this story named an incorrect beach.

Heather Wright/The Independent

A tragedy in the waters of Lake Huron; a young mother saving her child struggling in Lake Huron at Mike Weir Park in Bright’s Grove has died.

Friends are remembering her as someone who “carried sunshine in her smile.”

The family was swimming Saturday around 7:30 pm when a young boy began to struggle; his mother went in and saved him only to be pulled in herself.

Three people on the beach began CPR on the woman until Lambton paramedics arrived. The young mother was taken to hospital where she died Sunday.

Friends have identified the woman as Kait Eastman.

A GoFundMe page set up by Cat Cabajar to help Eastman’s family says “Our beloved Kait sacrificed her own life to save her son who was drowning at a local beach.”

Eastman, Cabajar said, leaves behind two children, a boy and a girl, who will “need our support as they process such a tragic loss.

“Kait was the type of person who carried sunshine in her smile. She dedicated a huge portion of her life to helping support others in our community,” Cabajar added.

Eastman was a “talented photographer whose warmth and creativity was reflected in the moments she captured with her clients,” a designer and ran a small business with her sister, Ashley. “I will always cherish the time we had as friends and colleagues and the many milestones that we were fortunate enough to celebrate together.”

The GoFundMe, which can be found here https://gofund.me/5cc50cd4f, will raise funds for Eastman’s funeral and “will help lift the burden of these expenses off of her family and any additional funds will help her children who now face a life without their Mom by their side as they grow.”