Mom issues warning after 10-year-old son collapses after playing in the ocean

A beach trip can be a great way to cool off from intense heat. However, a Massachusetts mother learned that the beach can also bring unique dangers.

She now aims to warn others about these risks.

Heather Cassini said she still feels shaken, even though the event happened more than a week ago.

On July 4, while at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire, her 10-year-old son Declan told her he felt sick. Cassini, 40, wasn’t immediately concerned. Declan had been playing in the sea, and it was a warm day.

In a widely shared Facebook post, Cassini mentioned, “I thought he was just seasick from breakfast and needed to rest.” Soon after they began walking back so he could lie down, Declan became “disoriented” and bumped into a sunbather.

He stood up but then collapsed again.

Speaking to Today.com, Cassini explained, “I was frantically trying to lift him because I’m pregnant.” He was vomiting and losing consciousness. His skin had turned very pale.

When some women sitting nearby saw what was happening, they quickly came over to help. As they checked his vital signs, paramedics worked to keep him warm and conscious.

“God bless everyone around us. There were a lot of nurses,” she said.

After what felt like forever, Declan was able to speak. Cassini added, “We managed to get him into the car and waited for him to recover.”

Doctors later determined that Declan had hypothermia from the ocean’s 52-degree temperature.

Cassini admitted, “I had no idea this could happen. I didn’t think about cold shock. You worry about sunburn and dehydration, but not this.”

Declan’s recovery inspired Cassini to inform others about the risk of hypothermia even in summer.

She advises parents, “Just because your kids love the water and don’t seem cold, it doesn’t mean they aren’t at risk.”

“I never imagined you could get hypothermia on a hot summer day! This is an important alert for everyone, not just parents.”