Lacey Grace, a mum from Florida, US, has shared an important warning for other parents about dry drowning after her daughter nearly died.
The mum posted a picture of her daughter in hospital, as she explained exactly how Elianna got seriously ill because of secondary drowning, also known as dry drowning.
'I contemplated whether or not this was worth posting, and at the end of the day, I am where I am because of something another Dad posted sometime last year. If I can even help save one child, this is worth it for me', she started the post.
'Elianna was playing in the pool with a “pool noodle” on Saturday, and as many many children do every day, she was blowing in one end and blowing water out the other. By 100% freak accident, Elianna put her mouth to blow out at the same time someone blew in the other end, causing the water to shoot directly down her throat.'
While the mum says the little girl 'threw up immediately' and was totally fine 30 minutes later, she developed a fever on Monday.
Lacey didn't think much of it, as 'kids get fevers', but her fever came back when she was sent to school on Wednesday. It was then that she remembered the story of a little boy who sadly passed away as a result of secondary drowning.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10211724169039631&set=a.1845843185731.2102785.1230180042&type=3&theater
Lacey then explained how she took her daughter straight to the doctors, where she was told to go straight to A&E, as her 'heart rate was crazy high, her oxygen was low, and her skin was turning purple which suggested chemical infection'.
At the hospital, a chest X-ray showed inflammation and infection caused from pool chemicals, and Elianna was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia.
Despite her lucky escape, the four-year-old is still recovering in hospital, as she's being treated with a second dose of antibiotic and can't breathe on her own yet, but doctors have told the mum that her little girl is alive because she spotted the signs.
'At least two doctors now have told us “thank God you got her here when you did”. All the major things going wrong are things you would NEVER notice by looking at her', she wrote.
In her post, Lacey also urged parents to look out for the signs of dry drowning, which could be fatal: 'If your child inhales a bunch of water, and something seems off AT ALL, I encourage you to immediately get help. I wonder if I would have taken her Monday, would she be better off?? And I wonder if I waited longer what would have happened. It’s so scary.
'We don't know how long the road will be but I thank my lucky stars that I read that article of the little boy. I will find that article and write that Dad a letter, I promise you. I would have never taken her to the urgent care without that and God only knows how this would have ended.'
