During the summer when the temperatures are hot, most of us don’t want to concern ourselves with worries and problems.
Unfortunately, the risk of heat stroke is always looming.
Although Mayo Clinic vaguely defines heat stroke as “a condition caused by your body overheating”, most people have come to strictly associate the phenomenon with sun exposure.
But what happened to Jennifer Abma and her daughter Anastasia should act as a reminder that heat stroke can happen anywhere— even in the supposed safety of your own home.
On July 14th, 2017, Jennifer Abma posted a photo and message to her Instagram and Facebook pages, detailing a terrifying event that she had experienced the night before.
Jennifer explained that her daughter Anastasia had gone into her room and put herself down for a nap. When the young mother went to go check on her, she was stunned to see Anastasia lying lifelessly, red in the face, and soaked in sweat.
In her post, which has since gone viral, Jennifer writes, “This was the scariest moment I’ve had to imagine. THIS is severe heatstroke. There is nothing scarier than not being able to wake your baby up. THIS is clear proof a child doesn’t need to be in the sun.”
After discovering her daughter, Jennifer called an ambulance. When the paramedics measured Anastasia’s sugars levels (which should be above 4), the results were a terrifying 1.2.
Although Jennifer describes the experience as “the scariest moment [she’s] had to imagine”, she’s now using the opportunity to spread awareness about the risk of heat stroke— especially heat strokes which occur in the absence of sun.
She writes, “This is a lesson learned & hopefully other parents can take something from this.” She urges other parents to check the temperatures of rooms in their house, noting they “can be as dangerous as a hot car.”
Despite the scary events, Jennifer considers herself lucky. Things could have been much worse had she not checked on Anastasia.
She writes:
“We definitely had God on our side yesterday and I am thankful for emergency services.”
Since being posted on July 14th, 2017, Jennifer’s post has been shared over 46,000 times.
To finish off your summer off safely, we (along with Jennifer) urge you to be aware of the symptoms of heat stroke, which include:
- High body temperature
- Altered mental state or behavior, such as confusion, delirium, slurred speech or irritability
- Alteration in sweat
- Nausea and vomiting
- Flushed skin
- Rapid breathing
- Racing heart rate
- Headache
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