A day at the beach usually feels like the perfect way to beat the scorching heat. But for one mom from Massachusetts, the beach held a surprise that she never expected—and now she’s warning others about it.
Even though it happened more than a week ago, Heather Cassini is still “shaking” from the scare she experienced.
It all started on July 4th when Heather and her 10-year-old son, Declan, were enjoying a sunny day at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. Everything was going great until Declan suddenly said he didn’t feel well.
At first, Heather didn’t think much of it. It was a hot day, and Declan had been splashing around in the ocean for a while. In a Facebook post that has since gone viral, Heather wrote, “I thought maybe the waves were too much after breakfast, and he just needed to lie down.”
But as they started walking back to find a place for him to rest, Declan got “disoriented” and accidentally bumped into someone sunbathing nearby.
He tried to stand up, but then he collapsed again.
“I was desperately trying to pick him up,” Heather told Today.com. “But I’m pregnant, and it was really hard. He was throwing up, fading in and out of consciousness, and he looked so pale.”
A group of women nearby noticed something was wrong and rushed over to help. Paramedics arrived quickly and worked to keep Declan warm and alert while checking his vitals.
“Thank God for the people around us,” Heather said, deeply grateful. “There were so many nurses.”
After what felt like an eternity, Declan finally woke up and started talking again. Heather added, “We got him to the car and waited for him to feel better.”
Later, doctors found out that Declan had hypothermia because of the 52-degree ocean water.
“I had no idea this could happen,” Heather admitted. “You always think about sunburns, dehydration, and the usual dangers in the water. Cold shock never even crossed my mind.”
Declan’s quick recovery was a huge relief, but Heather now feels a strong need to warn other parents about the risk of hypothermia, even during the summer.
“For parents with kids who love the water and don’t seem to feel cold, just remember that just because they can handle it doesn’t mean they should,” she advised.
She ended with a powerful message: “It never occurred to me that hypothermia could happen on a hot summer day! This is something everyone needs to know—not just parents.”
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