When Douglas was ten or eleven years old, he was standing alone at the side of the YMCA swimming pool for people to come, when a boy who was probably eighteen years old, came to him and asked if he would liked to be ducked. Without waiting for any answer, he picked up Douglas. and threw him into the deep end of the pool. Douglas landed in a sitting position inside the pool and had swallowed water. Douglas decided that soon as his feet touched the bottom of the pool, he would try and make a jump to the surface and paddle to the edge of the pool, but nothing worked and he started drowning. This experience scared Douglas and he never returned to the YMCA pool. He started fearing water. He would avoid water whenever he would get a chance.