Photo: Gio Vega, KTRK
I often share safety warnings from other parents on this site—in the past I’ve even been accused of fear-mongering because of articles that warn about car seat safety, sex trafficking, etc. But Colorado dad Garon Vega and his 2-year-old son Gio are exactly the reason I write safety-warning articles with stories from other parents. This summer, you may get your fill of water safety posts, but I hope you will remember this one, and Garon and Gio’s story. They are proof that sharing our stories can save lives.
After Gio complained of a headache and got a fever after swimming last Wednesday, his concerned dad turned to the Internet to check out his symptoms.
“I’m noticing his heart is beating really fast, so noticeably that I can feel it when he’s laying against my body,” Vega said.
Vega soon discovered the story of the Delgados, a Texas family whose 4-year-old son Frankie died suddenly after swimming. Garon immediately realized that Gio’s symptoms were similar to the Deglado’s son, and he and his wife rushed Gio to the emergency room, where doctors found “significant amount of fluid in his lungs,” Vega told news station WALB. “It was a good thing that we brought him in because if we hadn’t, he wouldn’t have made it through the night.”
Vega credits the Delgado’s speaking out with saving little Gio’s life. “I feel like I needed to reach out to the parents of Little Frankie and tell them… their little boy saved our little boy’s life. There was a purpose,” Vega said.
I hadn’t heard the Delgado’s story, but I did share another similar one on dry drowning from mom Darcy McQueeney, in the hopes that someone like Garon Vega would read it and be aware of the symptoms. Because of brave parents like the Delgados and McQueeney speaking out, I know that lives WILL be saved. Little Gio Vega and his grateful dad are proof.
