Busted singer Charlie Simpson has revealed his four-year-old son recently spent time in hospital after suffering “secondary drowning” on a family holiday.
The British musician shared his account of the “terrifying experience” involving his son Jago on his Instagram page, “in the hope that if it helps just one person avoid a similar situation”.
Secondary drowning occurs when water gets into the lungs and gathers, leading to breathing difficulty.
Charlie recalled: “We were on holiday enjoying a morning in the pool. Jago is a strong swimmer for his age and he was swimming under water but suddenly came up spluttering and coughing. At no point was he left unattended, it was momentary, nothing seemingly unusual for kids to experience. We got him out and he seemed fine and happy and was completely normal for the rest of the day.
“At dinner he became very lethargic and went to sleep in my wife’s arms. After dinner he suddenly woke up and started projectile vomiting. We called a doctor immediately who initially diagnosed it as food poisoning and advised that we put Jago to bed in our hotel room and keep an eye on him.
“Before the doctor left, I suddenly remembered Jago coughing in the pool that morning and I remembered reading about a condition called secondary drowning, so I relayed it to the doctor. After hearing this, his demeanour changed and he told us to go to A&E straight away.”
He continued: “During the hour-long journey to hospital, Jago’s condition deteriorated and he seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness. He was rushed through to have CT scans and X-Rays and to our absolute horror, we were told that he had water in his lungs and was minutes away from pneumonia.
“Jago was diagnosed with secondary drowning. He spent the next three days in hospital and I’m so thankful for the amazing care he received. It was the worst thing we have ever experienced. The scariest thing of all, is that had we not taken him to hospital when we did, the outcome could have been very different.”
Charlie warned parents to look out for symptoms including vomiting, fever, laboured breathing and lethargy, which can happen as long as 72 hours after someone first inhales water.
“I truly hope no one ever has to experience this but I hope to be able to raise some awareness of this frightening condition in case they do,” he added.
Charlie has two sons with his wife Anna Barnard, six-year-old Arlo and four-year-old Jago.