By Her View From Home 
We’re in the height of summer heat, so as a mom, I’m always looking for ways to cool everyone off. Water balloons, heading to the pool, a day at the lake—if it has refreshingly cold water involved, we’re in.
In all those sweltering afternoons, I’ve never considered the possibility of hypothermia or temperature shock from cold water—neither had Massachusetts mom Heather Cassani. But that became a scary reality for her family during a Fourth of July trip to the beach.
In a Facebook post, Cassani says the air temperature was about 80 as the family enjoyed some fun in the water. Her son, Declan, was happily playing, but came out of the water after a while and told his mom he didn’t feel good and thought he was going to be sick.
As she walked her son up the beach to rest, things took a scary turn.
Cassani writes, “Declan starts to become disoriented and falls onto a lady sun bathing. I thought he tripped but as he got up he said, “Mom I don’t feel good.” (Now I know from him telling me. Everything went white for him and he couldn’t see) We are now in front of a group of ladies and I can see [my husband] John. I’m yelling “I need help” as I’m carrying Declan. Declan passes out onto the beach and starts throwing up all over. The ladies jump up and scream call 911. They are in the medical field and can see he’s in distress. One lady starts running for the lifeguards, the others are trying to keep him conscious as he’s throwing up and passing out.”
After paramedics arrived and stabilized her son, Cassani says the diagnosis was surprising.
“He had cold shock from the 52 degree water and he was becoming hypothermic.”
Cold shock can be deadly—a fact I now know but wouldn’t have given much thought to before reading Cassani’s story. According to the National Weather Service, ” Plunging into cold water of any temperature becomes dangerous if you aren’t prepared for what the sudden exposure can do to your body and brain. Warm air temperatures can create a false sense of security for boaters and beach goers. Cold water quickly removes heat from the body which could lead to cold water shock within the first minute, loss of muscle control within 10 minutes or hypothermia within 20 to 30 minutes.”
Cold shock and hypothermia were not on Cassani’s radar that afternoon, but she’s since learned it’s more common than she realized. “I had no idea this could happen. I’ve been going to the beach my whole life. I’ve never seen or heard this happen. The paramedics said they see it a lot, especially with the lifeguards,” she writes.
Gratefully, her son made a full recovery, but Cassani says she’s sharing their story so other parents are aware of the hidden danger during these sweltering summer days. “Just a warning to those with kids who feel no cold and love the water. Just because they can handle it doesn’t mean they can handle it.”
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