One family is mourning the loss of their 4-year-old son a week after swimming, a rare case of drowning incident.
Over Memorial Day weekend, Francisco Delgado III, whose family called him “Baby Frankie,” went to the Texas City Dike to go swimming. Although everything seemed fine that day and Frankie got out of the water with no problems, he began showing symptoms of a stomach bug, including vomiting and diarrhea. Then, nearly a week later, he stopped breathing.
“Out of nowhere, he just woke up. He said ahhh,” his father Francisco Delgado Jr., told the local news outlet. “He took his last breath and I didn’t know what to do no more.”
According to the child’s father, his son had been knocked over by a large wave during a family beach trip on May 28 and likely inhaled water that later killed him.
According to ABC 10 News, the 4-year-old complained of an upset stomach after he went swimming, but his parents didn’t think it was serious. Then, one morning, he said his shoulders were hurting. “Out of nowhere, he just woke up. He said, ‘Ahhh,'” Francisco told Texas’ KTRK, referencing his son’s expression of pain. “He took his last breath.”
Frankie’s mother, Tara Delgado, told KTRK that paramedics tried to revive her son.
“I walked in. I could see him lying there. They were still working on him. I’m screaming, ‘Let me just touch my baby. Maybe he needs his mama’s touch,'” she said, adding that paramedics later told her that her son died of dry drowning. “His lungs were full of fluid. There was nothing else they could do for him.”
Now, the Delgados are spreading awareness of what’s often called “dry drowning” (also commonly referred to as “secondary drowning”) following their son’s tragic death.
OpposingViews explained “Dry drowning” further:
Dry drowning happens hours or even days after a person inhales water. Experts say that symptoms include troubled breathing, coughing, sleepiness, fatigue and vomiting.
Once water gets in a person’s lungs, it irritates them, causing them to fill with fluid, Purva Grover, medical director of Cleveland Clinic Children’s pediatric emergency departments, told USA Today.
“You might not witness your child inhale any pool water, but it’s important to watch out for signs soon after an event that could cause dry drowning,” Grover said. “It’s very unusual for the child to have absolutely no symptoms, but they may go to bed and in the middle of the night have trouble breathing. It takes a couple of hours, for the fluid to emerge in the lungs.”
WATCH:
Dr. Kay Leaming-Van Zandt, a doctor at Texas Children’s Hospital, told KTRK that its possible for children to drown in just a few inches of water.
“It only takes a split second,” Leaming-Van Zandt said. “Drowning is silent. It’s not similar to what you see in the movies where there is a lot of commotion.”
Dry drowning cases are rare, but parents should always be aware of the risk, Grover told USA Today.
“My best advice is when a child has a near-drowning event in the water, the first thing is to get a professional opinion,” she said.
Watch the video report below for more details:
Sources: OpposingViews, KTRK, WXIN, USA Today, ABC 10
