ST. GEORGE, Utah — What was supposed to be a Hawaiian dream vacation for Becca and Stanley Martin and their nine children turned into a nightmare a parent never wants to dream about.
"We never thought we'd be able to go to Hawaii," said Becca. "Our kids were so happy; even the littlest things like just playing at the airport on the way to Hawaii."
The Martin's never imagined one of their children wouldn't be coming home.
"It's hard every day knowing that he's not here anymore," Becca said.
Five-year-old Noah Martin was snorkeling with his siblings in the shallow side of the beach during sunset.
"We had gotten all the kids snorkeling gear because there were fish in the water and we really didn't see a struggle, but since all the kids were under water, we really couldn't tell he was struggling or if he was struggling so he drowned," Becca recalled.
"Everything was just a blur, we really didn't see him struggle," said Stanley.
Becca says she has photos and videos of Noah before the incident, and he was happy just to be experiencing life with his family. The Martin's say he was a smart kid, reading well above his grade level and always wanted to impress his older brothers.
"He was such a simple kid, he really didn't ask for much," she said. "He was so appreciative of everything that he had because he knew that he had a lot of siblings and he knew that we had to work hard to give them what they wanted, so he didn't complain."
The Martin's wish they could hear Noah crack their bedroom door to once again say I love you.
Despite going through one of the hardest things, the Martin's say the outpouring of community support is a light shining through tragedy. The family is well-known throughout the St. George community and neighbors have rallied behind the family with fundraisers and events.
"I see everybody, I see this community as a piece of that, I see that [God] don't give us the battles we can't handle, and I see that he's giving us all these tools and he's blessing all these angels on us," Stanley said.
Becca says there are people the Martin's haven't seen in years reaching out and giving support.
"It's helping us grieve and it's helping us accept our new norm without our son," Becca said.
An online account has been created to help support the Martin family following the loss of Noah.
