Parents Should Be Aware

After’s Frankie’s death, his parents started sharing his story with multiple media outlets as they wanted to prevent similar deaths and wanted parents to be aware of this rare but fatal illness. The family had created a GoFundMe page for Frankie’s funeral expenses and within a few days, managed to raise around $14,000. Death by drowning is really common but not ‘dry drowning’, most people are not even aware of the term. Thanks to Frankie’s parents, Lacey was able to identify the problem with her daughter.

Grateful

“I wouldn’t have known about it if that one person didn’t write that story,” said Lacey in the interview with the abc news attached ahead, referring to Frankie’s tragic death. Lacey recalled the incident after realizing that her daughter’s symptoms were similar to that of Frankie’s and so she took her to the hospital. Frankie’s father’s understanding that some parent might someday need help to understand weird symptoms that their children might develop after a day in the pool- turned out to be correct and they did manage to save a life. 

What About Elianna

In the video attached ahead, Lacey recounts all what and how things happened to her daughter and her own fears. In one interview she said, “Two hours later they transferred her by ambulance to an even larger hospital so they could monitor her around the clock and have pediatric specialists keep an eye on her. She began treatment in the ambulance on the way over.” Elianna’s condition was serious, she could not have been left unmonitored and she was still in danger. 

What Is Dry Drowning

Despite its name dry drowning involves water. It occurs when water is accidentally swallowed but the person does not drown immediately afterward. It can happen hours after swimming in case water was inhaled. The inhaled water later causes the vocal cords to spasm, closing the person’s airways. The fluid starts building up in and around the heart and the lungs. Dry Drowning mostly happens to kids, it very rarely happens to adults. It is rare in itself; it accounts for about 1% of all drownings.

Dry Drowning Vs Secondary Drowning

Lacey Grace Story

Either ‘dry drowning’ or ‘secondary drowning’ occur when water somehow does not find a release and gets trapped in the respiratory tract. In the case of dry drowning, airway spasms are created by inhaled water without even reaching the lungs. In the case of secondary drowning, the inhaled water goes into the lungs which can potentially cause pulmonary edema. As a consequence, the person faces difficulty in breathing as the body fails to get enough oxygen. This can cause death even after days of the incident of inhaling water. 

Symptoms To Look Out For

Coughing, chest pain, vomiting, and extreme fatigue are the most common symptoms of Dry Drowning. Doctors will do a chest X-ray and monitor oxygen levels to confirm dry drowning.The best prevention is monitoring kids while they swim and in the hours after. If they show any signs of trouble in the pool and show symptoms within 24 hrs, they should be taken to the ER. No symptom or complains of pain after the swim on behalf of the kids should not be taken for granted.