A New Hampshire mother is sounding the alarm after her 10-year-old son suffered hypothermia while on a beach trip.
Declan Cassani, 10, said he “saw black” moments before vomiting and passing out at Hampton Beach on July 4.
His mother Heather told him WMUR who had been playing in the water all day and noticed that the symptoms of hypothermia attacked him suddenly and without warning.
Lifeguards warned that while much of the U.S. has been experiencing scorching temperatures this summer, families should be aware that oceans often remain icy.
Declan Cassani, 10, suffered hypothermia on July 4 after spending the day frolicking in the ocean at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire.
Heather said she is sharing her son’s medical emergency in hopes that other families can avoid a similar fate.
“That’s what it’s really about, because you never know what things could go wrong and you try to protect them, but I feel like knowing is half the battle,” she said.
Although Declan appeared normal throughout the day as he entered and exited the water, his first symptoms quickly appeared when he suddenly became disoriented and confused.
Declan passed out and vomited, recalling that “all I saw was a black screen and then I fell down.”
“I didn’t know what was going on and I just freaked out,” she said.
Hypothermia is a condition caused by a drop in the body’s core temperature and can lead to drowsiness, slow heart rate, unconsciousness, and death.
Declan’s mother Heather said her son had been playing in the water all day and said the symptoms of hypothermia had struck suddenly and without warning.
Other beachgoers sensed the medical emergency and called 911, and lifeguards detected the first signs of hypothermia when Declan’s skin was cold.
Hampton Beach lifeguard chief Pat Murphy cautioned that while summer temperatures are high, they don’t always translate into warm ocean waters, saying “hypothermia is something we see quite a bit.”
Lifeguards and other beachgoers rushed to his side after detecting the medical emergency and called 911.
First responders found Declan under an umbrella and detected signs of hypothermia because his skin was cold.
He was moved into the sun and is said to have recovered quickly after warming up.
Hampton Beach lifeguard chief Pat Murphy cautioned that while summer temperatures are high, they don’t always translate into warm ocean waters.
“We’ve never seen the water be this cold for this long,” he told WMUR.
‘So you go from a day where you’re at 95, 85, to water where you’re at 50 or 50 and you’re in there for a long time; hypothermia is something we see quite a bit.’