Charlie Simpson has shared a terrifying incident in which his youngest son was rushed to hospital during a family holiday.
The Busted star shared a picture of his son Jago, four, in A&E as he described how his son suffered from secondary drowning.
The rare disease mostly affects children because their bodies are small and occurs when a child inhales water while swimming. Water enters the lungs and then begins to accumulate over time, eventually making breathing impossible.
Rare condition: Charlie Simpson shares horrifying incident where his youngest son was rushed to hospital with secondary drowning during family holiday
The rare occurrence can be fatal and symptoms appear within one to 24 hours of being in the water.
Charlie described her family’s experience in an effort to raise awareness of the condition, writing on Instagram:
“I wanted to share a terrifying experience we recently had with my youngest son, Jago, in the hope that if it helps just one person avoid a similar situation, it will be worth it.”
Describing what happened, Charlie continued: “We were on holiday and enjoying a morning in the pool. Jago is a strong swimmer for his age and was swimming underwater but suddenly surfaced, spitting and coughing.
Scary: Charlie described his family’s experience in a bid to raise awareness of the condition, which occurs when a child breathes in water while swimming. Water enters the lungs and then begins to accumulate over time
Family celebration: Charlie and his wife Anna share two sons, Jago and his older brother Arlo, who was born in 2015.
“At no point was he left unsupervised, it was momentary, nothing at first glance out of the ordinary for children. We got him out and he seemed fine and happy and was completely normal the rest of the day.
Jago’s symptoms didn’t start until hours later, with Charlie describing how he “became very lethargic and fell asleep in my wife’s arms” during dinner.
“After dinner, he suddenly woke up and started vomiting.
“We immediately called a doctor who initially diagnosed it as food poisoning and advised us to put Jago to sleep in our hotel room and keep an eye on him.
A&E: Describing what happened, Charlie continued: “Jago was swimming under water but suddenly he came up gurgling and coughing” Hours later he started projectile vomiting
Fortunately, Charlie remembered reading about the secondary drowning and had the instinct to tell the doctor about the incident in the pool that morning.
“Before the doctor left, I suddenly remembered Jago coughing in the pool that morning and I remembered reading about a condition called secondary drowning, so I passed it on to the doctor.
“After hearing this, his demeanor changed and he told us to go to the AG immediately,” the musician recalled.
Dad: Luckily Charlie remembered reading about secondary drowning and had the guts to tell the doctor about the pool accident that morning (pictured with wife Anna)
WHAT IS DRY DROWNING AND SECONDARY DROWNING?
Dry drowning and secondary drowning are rare medical conditions resulting from water inhalation.
Children are usually victims because their bodies are small, but it can happen to adults as well.
Dry drowning occurs when water is inhaled, causing the vocal cords to spasm and tighten and eventually close the airway
Secondary drowning is when water enters the lungs and then begins to accumulate, restricting breathing.
Symptoms of dry drowning usually appear immediately, while symptoms of secondary drowning appear after 1 to 24 hours.
Both have the same symptoms of cough, chest pain, difficulty breathing and fatigue.
“During the hour-long journey to the hospital, Jago’s condition worsened and he seemed to drift in and out of consciousness.
“He was rushed in for a CT scan and x-rays and to our absolute horror we were told he had water in his lungs and was minutes away from pneumonia.
“Jago was diagnosed with secondary drowning. He spent the next three days in hospital and I am so grateful for the amazing care he received. It was the worst thing we have ever experienced.
“The worst thing of all is that if we hadn’t taken him to hospital, the outcome could have been very different.
Charlie concluded his post by describing the symptoms to look out for, writing, “After doing a lot of research, secondary drowning seems to be quite rare, yet not talked about. It takes less than half a cup of inhaled water to drown.
“Symptoms can start up to 72 hours after the event, which can make them difficult to diagnose. These include vomiting, fever, difficulty breathing and lethargy.
“I really hope no one ever has to go through this, but I hope I can raise awareness of this frightening condition in case it does.” x’
Charlie and his wife Anna share two sons, Jago and his older brother Arlo, who was born in 2015.
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