Four-year-old boy tragically drowns one week after going swimming in rare dry-drowning case

Dry drowning is a rare condition, that usually affects children because of their smaller bodies. Photo / Facebook

A Texas couple are struggling to deal with their four-year-old son's death from a rare medical condition that caused him to drown a week after going swimming.

Francisco Delgado III, known as Baby Frankie to his parents, went swimming with his family at the Texas City dike last week, the Daily Mail reported.

His parents Francisco Jr. and Tara said the boy started to complain of stomach pains shortly after getting out of the water, but they figured he just has a regular bug.

Over the next week, they say that he stared vomiting and having diarrhea, but appeared to be getting better.

Then things got much worse.

Francisco says that his son complained of his shoulders hurting Saturday morning, and went back to sleep, only to wake up in serious pain hours later.

"Out of nowhere, he just woke up. He said, 'ahhh,'" his father told KTRK-TV. "He took his last breath, and I didn't know what to do no more."

The boy was rushed to the hospital where he later died.

"I walked in. I could see him lying there. They were still working on him. I'm screaming. Let me just touch my baby. Maybe he needs his mama's touch," Tara Delgado said. "When she came in, she told us it's what's called dry drowning. His lungs were full of fluid. There was nothing else they could do for him."

Doctors told the Delgados that little Frankie died from 'dry drowning' a rare medical condition that predominantly affects children because their bodies are small.

Dry drowning happens when someone breathes water in. The water never reaches the lungs, but it causes the vocal chords to spasm and tighten, eventually shutting down the airway.

A similar condition called secondary drowning happens when water gets into the lungs and then starts to build up over time, eventually making it impossible to breathe.

Symptoms of dry drowning usually happen immediately while secondary drowning has a later onset, between one to 24 hours.

Both cause the same symptoms which include coughing, chest pain, trouble breathing and fatigue.

They account for about one to two percent of all drowning incidents.

Friends of the family have set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for funeral expenses. So far the fund has raised more than $12,000 of a $20,000 goal.

"There are no words to describe how heartbroken we are over the passing of Baby Frankie. He was only 4 years old, he had so much life to live. He was loved by so many people, his love for Baseball was endless. The world lost a beautiful soul," a statement on the page reads.

"Such a wonder of life! Such a joyful spirit! Gone too soon. My family and I are asking for help in this difficult time of need. I'm asking for prayers and donations in hopes to help my family grieve without the worry of expenses."

A funeral for Frankie has been set for this Saturday.