Charlie Simpson has issued a warning to parents after his youngest son Jago suffered secondary drowning during a family holiday
(Picture: Charlie Simpson / Instagram)Busted’s Charlie Simpson has issued a warning to parents after his son ended up in hospital after suffering with secondary drowning during a family holiday.
Secondary drowning happens when an individual inhales water due to a near drowning or struggle in the water.
The Year 3000 hit-maker, 37, uploaded a picture on Instagram of five-year-old son Jago in hospital where he remained for three days.
Explaining that he was sharing the experience in the hope that it could prevent other parents finding themselves in the same situation, he wrote alongside the image: “I wanted to share a terrifying experience we had recently with my youngest son Jago, in the hope that if it helps just one person avoid a similar situation, it will be worth it.
“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 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.”
Simpson married wife Anna in 2014 with whom he also shares son Arlo, seven.
The musician recalled how the journey to the hospital took an hour during which time the lad’s condition deteriorated .
The dad-of-two continued: “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.After doing a lot of research, secondary drowning is seemingly quite rare but even so, not talked about.
“It takes less than half a glass of inhaled water to drown. Symptoms can start as long as 72 hours after the event which can make them hard to diagnose. These include vomiting, fever, laboured breathing and lethargy.”
He concluded his message by writing: “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. x”
His fans and celebrity friends rushed to the comments section to praise him for speaking up and offer words of support.
“I hadn’t even heard about secondary drowning before today, so thanks for the education. And I hope Jago has made a fast recovery,” said one fan.
“How horrible for you all. Sending love,” wrote McFly star Harry Judd.
“Da** dude. You’ve done a great thing sharing the info on this - so relived all has turned out ok - Han’s been keeping me up to date - hope to catch up properly real soon,” penned musician Dan Haigh.
