A great way to beat the intense heat is by spending a day at the beach, but a mother from Massachusetts learned that the shoreline can pose unexpected dangers.
She now hopes to raise awareness about this issue.
Even though the incident took place more than a week ago, Heather Cassini revealed that she is still feeling shaken by it.
On July 4, while at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire with her 10-year-old son Declan, the 40-year-old mother noticed that Declan suddenly wasn’t feeling well.
Initially, Cassini wasn’t too concerned. Declan had been playing in the ocean, and it was a hot day.
In a Facebook post that has since gone viral, Cassini wrote, “I thought he was just tired from swimming and needed to rest.” As they were heading back to find a place for him to lie down, Declan began feeling disoriented and collapsed.
Cassini told Today.com, “I was struggling to pick him up because I’m pregnant.” He was vomiting and experiencing periods of unconsciousness, and his complexion had turned very pale.
A group of nearby women quickly noticed the situation and rushed to help. Paramedics monitored his vital signs and tried to keep him warm and conscious.
“God bless everyone around us,” she said. “There were so many nurses.”
“After what felt like an eternity, he was able to get up and talk,” Cassini wrote. “We got him to the car and waited for him to start feeling better.”
It was discovered that Declan had developed hypothermia due to the 52-degree ocean temperature.
Cassini commented, “I never knew this was possible. I never thought about cold shock; I always worried about sunburn and dehydration and other water-related risks.”
Declan’s remarkable recovery has inspired Cassini to warn others about the danger of hypothermia in the summer.
“Just a reminder for parents with kids who love the water and don’t feel cold – just because they don’t feel cold doesn’t mean they can handle it.”
I never realized that hypothermia could occur on a hot summer day! This message is crucial for everyone, not just parents.
