DRY DROWNING DANGER: 4-Year-Old Dies Suddenly after Days of ‘Stomach Bug’ Symptoms. Then Doctors Find It in His Lungs

Keep Reading ↓

…it never hurts to get your child checked out…

DRY DROWNING DANGER: 4-Year-Old Dies Suddenly after Days of ‘Stomach Bug’ Symptoms. Then Doctors Find It in His Lungs

Parents are always on guard when in the water with small children, as they should be. However, there is another danger that begins as soon as the child leaves the water.

If a child breathes in (aspirates) water while swimming, they are at risk of “dry drowning.” It is crucial to watch for developing signs of the condition such as vomiting, fatigue, coughing, and especially difficulty breathing.

A family from Texas is suffering the untimely death of 4-year-old Francisco (Frankie) Delgado III. The whole family went swimming over Memorial Day weekend, and had a good time together.

Photo source: Baby Frankie Support

Over the next few days, Frankie fell ill. He was showing flu-like symptoms, but his condition slowly started to improve.

Nearly a week after they had gone swimming, Frankie woke up one morning with horrible pain. He let out a terrible groan, and drew in his last breath.

Frankie’s father was with him at the time and says that he didn’t know what to do. Paramedics arrived and rushed the little boy off to the hospital.

4-year-old Francisco Delgado died after swimming

There, doctors and nurses did everything they could to save Frankie’s life. The little boy’s mother, Tara, recalls watching the medical staff work on her son.

Tara was approached by a doctor who told her that they had tried everything, but Frankie was not going to make it. “When she came in, she told us it’s what’s called dry drowning. His lungs were full of fluid. There was nothing else they could do for him,” said Tara.

Frankie’s family remembers their little boy as a happy and fun-loving baseball fan. Tara says that her son had a really big heart.

Medical professionals urge parents to be diligent in watching for signs of dry drowning. The symptoms can easily be confused with the flu, but it never hurts to get your child checked out to be safe.

Symptoms can begin to show anywhere from 24 to 48 hours after inhaling water. The Delgado family wishes that they knew this important information before they lost Frankie, but hopefully their story will serve as a lesson and other innocent lives will be spared.

“She had purple rashes, splotches all over her body …”

Warning: Two-Year-Old Dies of Brain Infection, Mom Sends Warning to All Parents of Deadly Thing That Killed Her

Two-year-old Plainfield, Indiana, resident Kenley Ratliff loved nothing more than playing outside. But that very love of sunshine and fresh air — along with a very common outdoor risk — ended up costing her life.

One day, little Kenley had started running a fever. Her parents took her to the emergency room twice, where medical professionals suspected she had strep throat.

But to her family’s horror, her symptoms continued to worsen. Her fever spiked, her hands began to swell, and an ugly rash erupted across her skin.

“She had purple rashes, splotches all over her body in an ununiform [sic] pattern, just all over, little tiny purple spots, big purple patches,” family friend Nichol Kirby told WISH. “Just the condition of this poor baby laying there the way she was, it’s a mother’s nightmare, a father’s nightmare.”

That nightmare would only get worse. On May 30, the Ratliffs took Kenley back to the hospital yet again.

Photo source: Jennie Runevitch

This time, the doctors came to a different conclusion: They intubated her, placed her on a ventilator, and began providing her with antibiotics.

Their diagnosis? Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, an illness spread by ticks.

In addition to the distinctive splotches it causes, the sickness can lead to a devastating bacterial infection. Unfortunately for Kenley, that infection attacked her brain.

“Kenley currently has little to no brain activity,” her family wrote as part of a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for her treatment. “Her brain is so swollen, it’s pushing onto her spine.

“She is currently on a breathing machine to stay alive, but she is surrounded by her loving family. We are hoping for a miracle right now for this sweet baby.”

Sadly, that miracle didn’t come for Kenley. Her family made the decision to turn off her ventilator on June 3.

Photo source: David Conn

David Conn wrote:

This morning at 245 am my little granddaughter Kenley Rene Ratliff went to heaven. She fought as hard as any person could. I was with her as she passed, and she looked so peaceful, her tired little body relaxed. Please pray for her mom, Kayla, her dad Stony and her big sissy Aileah. They are going to need all of the love and support they can from everyone. Rest in Heaven sweet baby girl, Papaw loves you and always will.

Though few situations are as horrific as the death of a child, the Ratliff family has decided to use her illness as a force for good. They’re making it their goal to spread the word about the insidious dangers of tick-borne diseases.

Many of those illnesses can present as other sorts of sicknesses. Their symptoms, which include rash, fever, headache, and nausea, can mesh with many other maladies.

That’s why doctors warn parents to regularly check their children for ticks whenever they play outside. Additionally, warmer winters can leader to a larger tick population and greater chance of infection.

“Our goal is to spread awareness of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in hopes of saving other children’s lives,” the family wrote. “Please continue to spread awareness!”