A Florida mom has warned of the risks of "dry drowning" after her daughter swallowed swimming pool water and had to be rushed to ICU .
Annie Gallagher was enjoying a summer day at the pool with her three children when her five-year-old daughter started coughing after jumping into the water. Initially, the mom didn't think anything of it as she thought the child "seemed okay" and wanted to continue playing.
However, later that evening the girl started feeling unwell, so Annie decided to take her to the hospital to get checked. Once there, doctors informed the mom that her daughter was suffering a "dry drowning" event after inhaling water when she jumped into the pool.
Annie was told that if she hadn't taken her daughter to the hospital that night, the consequences could have been "catastrophic". She has now opened up about the ordeal on TikTok to warn other parents of the dangers their children could face when playing around pools in warm weather.
She said: "It happened in the blink of an eye we were at the pool and she jumped in from the edge. We both got out of the water and she was coughing. She is and always has been a strong swimmer since she was raised in the water. She inhaled water as she jumped in, but she seemed OK and wanted to go back to playing, which she did."
Recalling her thoughts when her daughter started feeling unwell that night, Annie, who works in real estate development, said: "Honestly, my first reaction was to send her back to her room for a good night's sleep because I was still up cleaning the house for the next day."
She added: " But something in my gut said 'Don't do it'. I remembered an article I'd read on Facebook before my daughter was even born about dry drowning. I called friends for advice, and they tried to ease my concern, but I couldn't shake the sinking feeling in my gut."
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Annie added doctors did chest X-rays and took oxygen readings on her daughter. She explained: "They then determined that if I hadn't brought her in that night, the outcome would have been catastrophic. She had suffered a drowning event. It only takes a teaspoon of water to cause inhalation pneumonia, which she had.
"She had begun to slowly suffocate as she drowned in her own fluids that were flooding her lungs. Within hours, we were transferred to a children's hospital. That entire week feels like a fever dream. At one point, I passed out myself and ended up in the ER. I couldn't believe my kid was in critical condition.
"I looked around at the other mums and kids and was aghast. I wondered, 'How did this happen?'" Thankfully, doctors were able to find a medication which meant "the life had come back in her eyes" as Annie said: "She wanted to go play in the playroom, which was huge. Simply seeing my daughter get out of bed or her wheelchair allowed me to breathe and smile with her.
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"She laughed for the first time in a week, and nothing could have been more beautiful than that moment." Annie's daughter was discharged after seven days in hospital and returned to life as normal. She said: "We had campouts in the living room for a week because I needed to hear my kids breathing to sleep. We were all back in the pool very quickly, so as not to have any phobias develop. We had our life back."
The incident happened in October 2017 and the child is now 12. Annie said: "She is a happy, healthy, smart, empathetic young woman now, and I'm sure we will have other challenges that's life. But if there is one thing I know about that girl, it's that she's strong!"
Dry-drowning refers to an airway closure from choking on water without getting fluid in your lungs. The main symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath or difficult breathing, and changes in skin color. Other symptoms include dizziness, sleepiness, or chest pain.
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