Amelia Jones
The family of a woman who died after drinking too much water in a short period of time have spoken about how her husband's battle to save her life with CPR.
Mum-of-two, Ashley Summers, had spend her Fourth of July at Lake Freeman, Indiana, with her two daughters, Brooklyn and Brynlee.
According to her brother, Deon Miller, Ashley began to feel very thirsty and started to experience headaches, which she put down to being dehydrated.
Speaking to The Messenger, he said: “It was really hot, and they were out on the water.
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"She had a headache and felt really thirsty. She thought she must have been dehydrated, so she drank like four bottled waters in half an hour.”
Ashely began to drink water, but found it did not alleviate the symptoms. She ended up drinking the equivalent of four 16oz (500ml) bottles in just 20 minutes.
When she returned from her trip, Ashley collapsed in her garage due to severe swelling on her brain.
Unaware of what was wrong but desperate to help his wife, Ashley's panic-struck husband, Cody Summers, attempted CPR before she was rushed to Indiana University Health Arnett Hospital where she never regained consciousness.
Deon explained: “Cody gave her CPR and got her going a little bit, but by the time they got to the hospital and ran tests and everything, they had to put her on the ventilator.
“By that time, her brain had swelled enough that it shut all circulation off to her brain, and she was brain dead.
“Then, that night, she was gone. It’s been a real shock for the kids and everyone.”
At the hospital, medics revealed that Ashley was suffering from water toxicity, or hyponatremia - meaning there's too much water and not enough sodium in the body.
Dr Alok Harwani has explained a little more about the medical condition, telling WLFI that it is 'relatively rare'.
He added that the 'kidneys can really only clear about a litre of water per hour'.
Ashley had consumed double that amount of water in a third of that time.
Dr Harwani continued: "Things to look out for are if you just start feeling really out of it, very tired, very fatigued.
"Sometimes patients feel like they’re starting to have a mild headache, or are just feeling overall unwell. Those could be early signs of water intoxication."
He warned: "If you’re really concerned that you or a family member is not acting right and you’re worried about water toxicity, don’t hesitate to call 911, don’t hesitate to go to the [emergency room]."
"She will forever be our superhero and my number one love," said her devastated husband Cody.