Ashley Summers loved being on the water. The 35-year-old daycare worker spent the Fourth of July weekend at Lake Freeman near Monticello, Indiana, with her husband and two daughters. But what was supposed to be a fun family outing turned into a nightmare when she died from water toxicity, a rare but potentially fatal condition that occurs when the body has too much water and not enough sodium.
Water toxicity, also known as water intoxication or hyponatremia, can cause the cells, especially in the brain, to swell and lead to symptoms such as confusion, nausea, headache, seizures, coma, and death. It can happen when someone drinks too much water in a short time, such as during endurance sports or intense exercise, or when someone has a medical condition or takes a drug that makes them retain water or feel extremely thirsty.
According to her brother, Devon Miller, Summers was feeling dehydrated and lightheaded after spending hours on the lake. She drank four bottles of water in 20 minutes, which was half a gallon and what she was supposed to drink in a whole day. She made it home, but passed out in her garage. She was taken to IU Health Arnett Hospital, but never regained consciousness. Doctors diagnosed her with water toxicity and told the family there was nothing they could do to save her.
“It was a shock to all of us. When they first started talking about water toxicity. It was like this is a thing?” Miller said.
Dr. Blake Froberg, a toxicologist with IU Health, said water toxicity is a rare occurrence, but it can happen to anyone who drinks too much water too fast. “There are certain things that can make someone more at risk for it, but the overall thing that happens is that you have too much water and not enough sodium in your body,” he said.
Sodium helps maintain the balance of fluids inside and outside of cells. When sodium levels drop due to excessive water consumption, fluids move inside cells, causing them to swell. When this happens to brain cells, it can be dangerous and even life threatening.
Drinking too much water can increase the pressure inside the skull. This can cause various symptoms and, in severe cases, become fatal.
The recommended water intake for a healthy adult is about 9–13 cups per day, but this can vary depending on factors such as activity level, weather, and overall health. The best way to prevent water toxicity is to drink when thirsty, monitor urine color, watch for early signs of water intoxication, and seek medical attention if needed.
Summers was an organ donor and was able to donate her heart, liver, lungs, kidneys and some of her long bone tissue. She helped save five people’s lives.
Her family is raising awareness about the dangers of overhydration and the importance of drinking fluids with electrolytes and sodium. They have set up a Venmo account for Summers’ children and to help pay for medical bills.
“We just want people to know that this can happen to anybody,” Miller said. “It’s not something that you think about when you’re drinking water.”
Relevant articles:
– Monticello woman dies from water toxicity, her family is raising awareness, WRTV Indianapolis, August 2, 2023
– Water Intoxication: Recognize, Prevent, and Treat Water Poisoning, Backpacking Mastery, December 28, 2023
– Overhydration: Types, Symptoms, and Treatments, Healthline, December 23, 2023
– Water intoxication: What happens when you drink too much water?, Medical News Today, December 22, 2023