A mum has warned of the terrifying dangers of ‘dry drowning’ after her daughter swallowed swimming pool water.
Annie Gallagher was enjoying a summer day at the pool with her three children when the trip turned south “in the blink of an eye” when her daughter started coughing after jumping into the water.
The child, then just five years old, continued to play but felt unwell that evening – which triggered a gut instinct in Annie that something more sinister was at play.
Taking her to get checked in the hospital, doctors found she was suffering a ‘dry drowning’ event, having inhaled water when she jumped into the pool.
Had she not been taken to hospital that night, Annie was told the outcome would have been “catastrophic”.
Now, she has shared the shocking tale on TikTok, where it has been viewed six million times, to warn others of the dangers amid the warm weather.
“It happened in the blink of an eye – we were at the pool and she jumped in from the edge,” Annie, from Florida, US, told Need To Know.
“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.”
Annie, who works in real estate development, later took the children home from the Florida-based pool, but in the evening her daughter wasn’t feeling well and wanted to stay in bed with her.
She 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.
“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.”
When they got to their local emergency room, doctors did chest X-rays and took oxygen readings.
Annie said: “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?’”
Luckily, doctors were able to find a medication that her daughter responded to.
Annie said: “Suddenly, the life had come back in her eyes.
“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.
“She laughed for the first time in a week, and nothing could have been more beautiful than that moment.”
Her daughter was discharged after seven days in hospital and returned to life as normal.
Annie 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.”
Seven years on from the terrifying incident in October 2017, her daughter is 12 years old and thriving.
Her mum 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!”
Annie added: “I want parents to know these things happen.
“We can’t put our kids in a bubble, unfortunately, but we have to keep living.
“The best we can do is be aware of safety hazards, teach our kids, and watch their backs while they are still learning.
“More than anything, though, as a parent, trust your instincts.
“Mine saved my daughter’s life.”
