There’s no better way to escape the super high temperatures than spending a day at the beach, but even though the shore can help cool you off, one mom from Massachusetts found out it also has its own special dangers.
And now she wants to let others know.
Even though the scary event happened over a week ago, Heather Cassini said she’s still feeling shaky.
Cassini, who is 40 years old, was at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire on July 4 with her family when suddenly her 10-year-old son Declan said he wasn’t feeling well.
At first, Cassini didn’t worry. It was really hot, and Declan had been playing in the ocean.
“I thought maybe he just ate too much for breakfast and needed to rest,” Cassini shared in a Facebook post that has now gone viral. As soon as they started to go back so Declan could rest, he became “disoriented” and fell onto a sunbather.
Even though he managed to get back on his feet, he tripped and fell again.
“I’m pregnant and desperately trying to lift him up,” Cassini shared with Today.com. “He was losing consciousness and throwing up. He looked so pale.”
A group of women sitting close by noticed the situation and quickly sprang into action. Paramedics checked his vital signs and worked hard to keep him awake and warm.
“Thank goodness for all the people around us. There were so many nurses,” she expressed.
“After what seemed like forever, he was up and talking. We waited for him to feel better and then got him to the car,” Cassini wrote.
It was found out that Declan had hypothermia from the chilly 52-degree ocean water.
“I had no clue this could happen,” Cassini admitted. “You think about sunburns and dehydration and all the things that can go wrong in the water, but I never thought about cold shock.”
Now that Declan is completely better, Cassini wants to alert others about the risk of getting hypothermia in the summer.
“Just a heads up to parents with kids who don’t feel the cold and love the water. Just because they can handle it doesn’t mean they are safe from it.”
I had no idea you could get hypothermia even on a hot summer day! This is such an important message for everyone, not just parents.
