We’re all familiar with (or have personally experienced) food poisoning and drink sickness, but what about water poisoning? Consuming too much water in a short amount of time may lead to water intoxication, also known as water toxicity.
Water poisoning was the cause of death for Ashley Miller, a 35-year-old mother of two who drank 64 ounces of water in 20 minutes.
The majority of her Fourth of July holiday weekend was spent on a boat on Lake Freeman, an Indiana reservoir, where she was vacationing with her family.
Indiana mom Ashley Summers tragically died from water toxicity after reportedly drinking half a gallon (64 ounces) of water in just 20 minutes due to severe dehydration.
— BoreCure (@CureBore) August 3, 2023
She was an organ donor, and her donations saved five lives. pic.twitter.com/lLoVbgtADc
Her husband and two kids are comforted by the knowledge that she gave the gift of life to others by donating organs after she passed away, even as they endure the grieving process.
Ashley Miller will effectively save the lives of five individuals by donating her heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and long bone tissue.
What Can Be Done to Reduce the Dangers of Toxic Water?
Most people’s first inclination when they feel thirsty is to go for a glass of water, and rightly so on a hot summer day.
That’s a fantastic first step, but the Millers also want other families to know two things regarding dehydration and water intake that might help them prevent what they went through.
#FPVideo: A mother-of-two in #Indiana died after guzzling roughly 64 ounces or almost 2L of water in just 20 minutes. 35-year-old Ashley Summers died from water toxicity shortly after spending a leisurely day at Lake Freeman over the long fourth of July weekend pic.twitter.com/dZY89QnY4M
— Firstpost (@firstpost) August 5, 2023
The first thing they picked up on was how important it is to drink water throughout the day rather than all at once.
While it is advised that you consume two litres of water daily, no more than one litre should be consumed in any one hour; Ashley drank two litres in little under twenty minutes. That is the first lesson.
Water toxicity is more common among athletes, drug users, or those with certain medical conditions. However, anyone can be at risk if they drink too much water without replenishing their electrolytes. https://t.co/thn3C5F8zU #hyponatremia #watertoxicity #waterpoisoning pic.twitter.com/UEZWFzqedU
— BadKitty (@MarieClaire1977) August 5, 2023
They also found out that electrolyte drinks (like Gatorade, Powerade, and Pedialyte) are more effective than plain water in combating dehydration.
Ashley suffered from the potentially lethal condition of having too much water but not enough electrolytes.
Nausea, vomiting, headache, disorientation, weariness, loss of energy, low blood pressure, muscular weakness, twitching cramps, soreness, seizures, coma, and/or restlessness are some of the most frequent symptoms of hyponatremia (low sodium levels in blood), as reported by the National Kidney Foundation.