‘It just broke our hearts’: Father warns parents of secondary drowning

Roger Hall is warning parents about secondary drowning after experiencing a scare with his 8-year-old daughter.

Deveny Hall was celebrating her birthday at a pool party when she inhaled some water. The next day, she was in the hospital with pneumonia and a temperature near 105 degrees.

“They were jumping and playing just like normal,” Roger Hall said. “I’m a pretty protective parent.”

Deveny did not begin to feel symptoms until she got out of the pool.

“It just broke our hearts to see our little one hooked up to all these machines going through this horrible condition,” Roger Hall said.

Dr. Michael McHue, of Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital, said just a bit of water can do a lot of damage to lungs.

“When water gets into the lungs, it washes out chemicals from the lungs that help to keep your air sacs open,” McHue said.

Nearly a month later, Deveny is doing much better and is well aware of the danger.

“I just make sure I don’t breathe in any water,” Deveny said.

Roger Hall will be keeping a closer eye on his daughter moving forward around the pool and has a message for other parents, “Pay special attention to them even if they swim like a fish.”

Secondary drowning is very rare, according to the American Osteopathic Association. Signs to look out for include trouble breathing, drop in energy levels, chest pain and vomiting.