A Florida mom is warning parents of the serious dangers of "dry drowning" after her 4-year-old daughter almost died from inhaling pool water.
The child, Elianna Grace, was with family members in their backyard pool in Bradenton on April 14, playing a game where she would blow water at them through a pool noodle.
When someone went to blow water back at her, they didn't realize Elianna was already on the other end of the noodle. The water blew into Elianna's mouth, according to the girl's mother, Lacey Grace, who called the incident a "freak accident."
Elianna immediately threw up after swallowing the pool water. But about 30 minutes later, family members say she seemed fine and was back to playing.
Two days later, the girl developed a fever.
While being checked out by a doctor, Elianna's heart rate suddenly sped up, her oxygen levels dropped and her skin turned purple, her mother said.
Lacey Grace called her husband as she rushed their eldest daughter to the emergency room at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, where she said a chest x-ray showed inflammation and an infection in Elianna's lungs caused by the chemicals in the pool water.
The toddler appeared to be slowly suffering from "dry drowning" or "secondary drowning," the mother said.
The little girl was in the hospital for four days, where she relied on an oxygen tank to breathe and received round-the-clock care.
Lacey Grace says coworkers have set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for Elianna's extensive medical bills.
Elianna was released from the hospital Saturday afternoon, exactly one week after inhaling the pool water.
Lacey Grace said her daughter is "doing well" and "getting better everyday," though she's still not quite her self.