We may often associate heatstrokes with being out in the sun all day, but they can happen indoors as well. After her daughter suffered from one in their home, Jennifer Abma is warning others about what an indoor heatstroke can be like.
When a heatwave hit their hometown of Edmonton, Canada, Abma thought the best thing to do was to keep her daughters indoors, away from the 90-degree heat. However, when her three-year-old Anastasia went to take a nap in her bedroom, she couldn't wake up nearly an hour-and-a-half later.
Upon discovering that the room was excessively hot, Abma called paramedics who later discovered that Anastasia was suffering from heatstroke.
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In a post to her Instagram page, Abma wrote that the experience taught her that "a child doesn't need to be in the sun to get heat stroke."
"It took 15 minutes to wake her," Abma told Today. "She got really, really lucky. She was probably minutes away from permanent damage."
Anastasia's blood sugar was low, according to Today, and paramedics were able to help her recover by administering sugar orally.
According to Today, the town they live in doesn't usually get warmer than about 80 degrees, and Abma's house doesn't have air conditioning. As Abma pointed out, heat stroke really can happen anywhere when your body is unable to cope with the heat — especially over long periods of time. As the U.S. National Library of Medicine notes, serious symptoms of heat stroke include having a body temperature over 104 degrees, unconsciousness, and rapid breathing.
"Hopefully other parents can take something from this & make sure you are checking the rooms in your house because they can be as dangerous as a hot car," she told Today.
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