Other Kids Drown, Not My Kid
My sister was 4-years old when she nearly drowned. I was eight. The incident happened over 49 years ago; still, we both remember it as if it happened just yesterday.
The sudden silence was the first alarm that something awful was happening. Kids in the water ceased to splash about, their squeals of delight ended, the call-outs to parents sitting on the beach, "Watch me Mommy!" were hushed. Only one sound could be heard, the movement of a muscular man propelling himself through water, then his clean dive beneath the surface, head first, then toes, then more silence. All on-lookers held their breath. The direction of his purposed movement pointed towards my sister's head, tilted back, face turned-up, seen only every so often as she bobbed-up and down to suck-in an occasional frantic breath of air.
For all of us time had stopped. Everyone, even children, sensed the impending nightmare. The moment seemed unearthly.
Only after the muscular man emerged like a bullet-blast out of water, with my startled sister held high above his head, a trophy in his capable hands, did the clock tick again. The memory ends as my mother runs in a wild-like fashion to meet the man with the stealthy footsteps carrying my sister to the beach. I watched as he gently placed her into my mother's arms and into a gush of hugs and kisses.
Sadly, It's A Typical Story
My sister's story€¦ my story€¦ my mother's story€¦ (her death would have affected all of us) had a happy ending. The muscular man in my memory was not only a family friend but a lifeguard too. My mother says that of all the people on the beach that day he was the furthest away yet the first to arrive at my sister's side in the water.
Years later, long after this near tragic event, I learned that this story aligns perfectly with a typical drowning, or near drowning. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nine people drown every day in the U.S. For every person who drowns, four times as many people nearly drown. Of all children 1-4 years old who die, 26% die from drowning (CDC, 2006). One of the major risk factors for children around water is a lapse in adult supervision; most children drown when the supervising adult is distracted, often only for a moment.
Know the stages of drowning. An awareness of how a victim unwittingly drowns will make you evermore vigilant and aware of the swimmers you supervise, and when a swimmer is in trouble. "Adult supervision plus personal flotation devices (PFDs or life jackets) are very effective at preventing drowning for all ages, especially for children playing in or near pools and open bodies of water." This statement was made by the National Center for Child Death Review and The Michigan Public Health Institute.
Stages of Drowning
It seems as though when a child gets into trouble in the water they would splash about or call for help. This is not, however, the case. Most drowning victims don't yell or wave their arms to alert someone that they are in trouble. They are in a state of surprise then shock, and are often silent.
1. Surprise
In this stage, the victim recognizes danger and becomes afraid. Hyperventilation occurs, causing negative buoyancy. The victim assumes a near-vertical position in the water, with little or no leg movement. The arms will be at or near the water's surface, making random grasping or flipping motions making self-rescue impossible. The head will be tilted back with the face turned-up. Victims rarely make any sounds; they are struggling just to breathe.
2. Reflex Breath Holding or Aspiration of Water
The victim has now dropped below the water line. In 10% of cases, the body in an attempt to protect itself initiates involuntary reflexive breath-holding. This occurs because water has entered the mouth and causes the epiglottis (a valve at the back of the throat, normally open) to close over the airway. Though a victim may continue to struggle, he/she will not usually make any sounds, as he/she cannot breathe. The compression of the chest by surrounding water pressure increases negative buoyancy so that the body continues to drop below the water's surface.
In 90% of cases the urge to breathe becomes stronger as the victim consumes his/her remaining oxygen which leads to the reflex to breathe, which leads to an aspiration of water. Reflex breathing gives way to a strong deep breath. After the deep breath the lungs fill with water causing the victim to become even more negatively buoyant.
3. Unconsciousness
Because the victim has been without oxygen, the body shuts itself down and unconsciousness results. In this stage the victim becomes motionless. Because breathing has stopped, he/she is in respiratory arrest. There is no chest movement or breathing sounds. At this point, the victim sinks to the bottom of the water, either slowly or rapidly, depending on factors such as the amount of air trapped in the lungs, body weight, and muscle mass. The victim will remain unconscious (and die) unless breathing is reestablished.
4. Hypoxic (Lack of Oxygen) Seizures
Due to a deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the brain the victim may eventually look as if he/she is having a seizure. This happens as the body's breathing reflexes are damaged, causing the heart rate to increase, and then the heart tires and stops pumping, then the seizures. The victim's skin turns blue, especially in the lips and fingernail beds, and the body may appear rigid. There may be violent jerking of the body and frothing at the mouth, a seizure.
5. Clinical Death
The final stage in the drowning process is death. Clinical death occurs when both breathing and circulation stop. The victim is in cardiac arrest. The heart has stopped pumping blood. The vital organs are no longer receiving oxygen rich blood. The lack of oxygen causes the skin to turn blue.
The sudden silence was the first alarm that something awful was happening. Kids in the water ceased to splash about, their squeals of delight ended, the call-outs to parents sitting on the beach, "Watch me Mommy!" were hushed. Only one sound could be heard, the movement of a muscular man propelling himself through water, then his clean dive beneath the surface, head first, then toes, then more silence. All on-lookers held their breath. The direction of his purposed movement pointed towards my sister's head, tilted back, face turned-up, seen only every so often as she bobbed-up and down to suck-in an occasional frantic breath of air.
For all of us time had stopped. Everyone, even children, sensed the impending nightmare. The moment seemed unearthly.
Only after the muscular man emerged like a bullet-blast out of water, with my startled sister held high above his head, a trophy in his capable hands, did the clock tick again. The memory ends as my mother runs in a wild-like fashion to meet the man with the stealthy footsteps carrying my sister to the beach. I watched as he gently placed her into my mother's arms and into a gush of hugs and kisses.
Sadly, It's A Typical Story
My sister's story€¦ my story€¦ my mother's story€¦ (her death would have affected all of us) had a happy ending. The muscular man in my memory was not only a family friend but a lifeguard too. My mother says that of all the people on the beach that day he was the furthest away yet the first to arrive at my sister's side in the water.
Years later, long after this near tragic event, I learned that this story aligns perfectly with a typical drowning, or near drowning. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nine people drown every day in the U.S. For every person who drowns, four times as many people nearly drown. Of all children 1-4 years old who die, 26% die from drowning (CDC, 2006). One of the major risk factors for children around water is a lapse in adult supervision; most children drown when the supervising adult is distracted, often only for a moment.
Know the stages of drowning. An awareness of how a victim unwittingly drowns will make you evermore vigilant and aware of the swimmers you supervise, and when a swimmer is in trouble. "Adult supervision plus personal flotation devices (PFDs or life jackets) are very effective at preventing drowning for all ages, especially for children playing in or near pools and open bodies of water." This statement was made by the National Center for Child Death Review and The Michigan Public Health Institute.
Stages of Drowning
It seems as though when a child gets into trouble in the water they would splash about or call for help. This is not, however, the case. Most drowning victims don't yell or wave their arms to alert someone that they are in trouble. They are in a state of surprise then shock, and are often silent.
1. Surprise
In this stage, the victim recognizes danger and becomes afraid. Hyperventilation occurs, causing negative buoyancy. The victim assumes a near-vertical position in the water, with little or no leg movement. The arms will be at or near the water's surface, making random grasping or flipping motions making self-rescue impossible. The head will be tilted back with the face turned-up. Victims rarely make any sounds; they are struggling just to breathe.
2. Reflex Breath Holding or Aspiration of Water
The victim has now dropped below the water line. In 10% of cases, the body in an attempt to protect itself initiates involuntary reflexive breath-holding. This occurs because water has entered the mouth and causes the epiglottis (a valve at the back of the throat, normally open) to close over the airway. Though a victim may continue to struggle, he/she will not usually make any sounds, as he/she cannot breathe. The compression of the chest by surrounding water pressure increases negative buoyancy so that the body continues to drop below the water's surface.
In 90% of cases the urge to breathe becomes stronger as the victim consumes his/her remaining oxygen which leads to the reflex to breathe, which leads to an aspiration of water. Reflex breathing gives way to a strong deep breath. After the deep breath the lungs fill with water causing the victim to become even more negatively buoyant.
3. Unconsciousness
Because the victim has been without oxygen, the body shuts itself down and unconsciousness results. In this stage the victim becomes motionless. Because breathing has stopped, he/she is in respiratory arrest. There is no chest movement or breathing sounds. At this point, the victim sinks to the bottom of the water, either slowly or rapidly, depending on factors such as the amount of air trapped in the lungs, body weight, and muscle mass. The victim will remain unconscious (and die) unless breathing is reestablished.
4. Hypoxic (Lack of Oxygen) Seizures
Due to a deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the brain the victim may eventually look as if he/she is having a seizure. This happens as the body's breathing reflexes are damaged, causing the heart rate to increase, and then the heart tires and stops pumping, then the seizures. The victim's skin turns blue, especially in the lips and fingernail beds, and the body may appear rigid. There may be violent jerking of the body and frothing at the mouth, a seizure.
5. Clinical Death
The final stage in the drowning process is death. Clinical death occurs when both breathing and circulation stop. The victim is in cardiac arrest. The heart has stopped pumping blood. The vital organs are no longer receiving oxygen rich blood. The lack of oxygen causes the skin to turn blue.