(415 words)
On Sunday, 6 Dec 09, we were supposed to go for Lunch with my step daughter and her boyfriend’s family. Just as I was going into the shower at around 12.30pm, my phone rang. It was my Step-daughter’s boyfriend calling to let me know that she was admitted to SGH.
That morning, she had went for the 10km run (Standard Chartered Marathon), had heat stroke and collapsed so ambulance was called to send her to A&E of SGH at about 10am. Although my name and contact number were on her number tag given to her for the run, no one in the Marathon Committee or the Hospital called me to inform me of her admission.
Arriving at the hospital, we were told to wait as the doctors were resuscitating her. Whilst hydrating her, her lung had gathered fluid and stopped functioning, so she had to be put on Life Support.
After 30 odd hours in ICU, she was finally off the Life Support and transferred to the normal ward to recuperate. We were told her readings for some organs were still very bad and needed to do more test to ensure they have recovered to the acceptable reading before she can be discharged.
A few weeks before the run, I told my step daughter to make sure she is well trained under the correct training environment so as not to get heat stroke. She told me ok. When she was awake from the sedation, she asked me what happened to her, I told her she had heat stroke and she asked me why was she sent to hospital for heat stroke when she can just go to sleep to recover!!
On talking to various people, I realised not many people understand what is heat stroke. My step daughter for one does not before she went for the run and she is now paying for her ignorance.
Below is an extract from http://www.medicinenet.com/heat_stroke/article.htm
Heat stroke is a form of hyperthermia, an abnormally elevated body temperature with accompanying physical and neurological symptoms. Unlike heat cramps and heat exhaustion, two forms of hyperthermia that are less severe, heat stroke is a true medical emergency that can be fatal if not properly and promptly treated.
Ignorance is not always a bliss, certainly not for my step daughter.
The benefits of exercise is well known so I am not going to stop her from engaging into the next run. And she should know by now being well prepared and well trained is as important as wanting to lead a healthy life style.