Going swimming is supposed to be a fun activity for the whole family, but for a Hispanic family who went swimming over the weekend, that innocent swim had a tragic ending. Frankie Delgado’s 4-year-old son also named Frankie died of a rare condition called “dry drowning” just a week after they went for a swim.
“We’d never heard of [dry drowning]. He had too much water in his lungs and that’s what sent him to Heaven,” Frankie Delgado, tells PEOPLE of his young son, Frankie Delgado III (whom the family calls “Baby Frankie”) following his shocking death. “I love my son so much. My son was my best friend. I played with my son every day. Now I can’t play with him anymore.”
The family of 6 went to the Texas City Dike on Memorial Day weekend and they believe that when a large wave came in and knocked over Frankie, this was the moment when he inhaled too much water. “This is real and this could happen to anyone,” the father tells PEOPLE. “I lost [Frankie] and I’ll never see him again.”
Dry drowning can occur when someone inhales too much water through their nose or mouth, causing it to get into their lungs. When this happens, the excess fluid can cause respiratory problems, brain damage, or even death like in this case.
Were there any signs that there was something wrong? Days after going for a swim, Frankie would wake up in the middle of the night vomiting and with diarrhea. “Him throwing up, vomiting, there’s nothing uncommon about that,” the father says. “We didn’t think [Frankie] was gonna pass away or anything like that.”
During his last breaths, the boy woke up complaining about shoulder pain that woke him up. “He just grabbed his chest and screamed. He took a deep breath and his eyes kind of rolled back, then he laid back down,” Delgado recalls. “I got up, I said, ‘Frankie, wake up!’ All of a sudden, he exhaled. I picked up his shirt and I couldn’t see his [chest] moving.”
Frankie was rushed to East Houston Regional Medical Center where doctors told the family that the boy had lacked oxygen to his brain for over an hour. He passed away about an hour later.
“Me and my wife, we’re at a loss for words. I don’t want anybody to go through what I’m going through,” Delgado says. “I’m never taking my kids to beaches, [water] ponds or lakes … I can’t deal with this again.”
Symptoms of dry drowning can include coughing, fever, vomiting, mood swings, and struggling for breath. There is no way to predict how bad it can get, but if you notice your child inhaled a lot of water through his nose or mouth, it might be a good idea to take him to the doctor, especially if you notice any of the above symptoms. Keep a close eye on your child when they’re swimming because dry drowning symptoms could occur hours or even days after the child inhales water.