During a Memorial Day weekend trip to the Texas City Dike, four-year-old Frankie Delgado was knocked off his feet by a ship’s wave and went underwater. He seemed fine at the time, but in the following days, began vomiting and had diarrhea.
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On the day of his death, June 3, Frankie complained about his shoulders aching before falling asleep for a nap.
“Out of nowhere, he just woke up. He said, ‘Ahhh.’ He took his last breath and I didn’t know what to do no more,”said his father, Frankie Delgado Sr.
DallasNews
Delgado and his wife, Tara, surfaced from the depths of unspeakable sorrow to tell their story so other parents would recognize the warning signs of “dry drowning,”or a delayed reaction to inhaling water.
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The Delgados’ message turned out to be a lifesaver for a 2-year-old Colorado boy, Gio, who– just one week after Frankie’s death– also exhibited signs of dry drowning after swimming and swallowing water. When he started complaining about headaches and having difficulties breathing, his parents researched his symptoms online and came across Frankie’s tragic story.
9 News
They rushed little Gio to the ER, where doctors found fluid in his lungs; he likely would not have survived the night if his parents hadn’t rushed him in for emergency care, the doctors said.
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“I feel like I needed to reach out to the parents of little Frankie and tell them, I don’t know how to word it, but their little boy saved our little boy’s life,” said Gio’s father, Garon Vega.
Thank you to the Delgados for coming forward with their story . No doubt it was difficult to share it, but their bravery has already saved one life.
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