02-07-2025
Boy, 15, left critically ill with multiple organ failure after making common exercise mistake
A mother has told of the 'terrifying' moment her teenage son was diagnosed with organ failure after developing heat stroke triggered by exercising on a hot day.
Sarah Coen, 51, didn't flinch when her two sons told her they were going for a summer's day run—until she received a frantic phone call telling her that her youngest had collapsed with heatstroke.
George, now 22, and Will, now 16, headed out for a 19km (12 miles) run in woodland near their home in Lincolnshire in July last year.
Although it was warm, with the temperature roughly 20°C, the mother wasn't concerned about the 'sporty and healthy boys' as they had just experienced 40°C heat while on a family holiday to Egypt.
However, roughly a quarter of the way into the run, Will started to feel 'confused' and disorientated.
Speaking about those first few kilometres, the teen described feeling 'woozy', but said: 'It was tough, don't get me wrong, but I didn't feel like I was about to die.'
Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the youngster collapsed and fell unconscious—prompting his terrified brother to call home and urge their mum to dial 999 immediately.
Ms Coen described this as 'one of the most terrifying moments of her life'.
Recalling the ordeal, she explained that, because she wasn't with the boys, she was unable to answer the phone handler's vital questions, such as whether or not her son was breathing and his exact location.
'It was absolutely horrendous,' she said.
George attempted to use a location app on his smartphone called what3words to tell his mother where he was, but the phone lost signal.
In a desperate attempt to save his brother's life, he ran home to tell their mother the three words from the app, leaving Will with dog walkers who poured water over his body to help him cool down.
Emergency services soon dispatched a Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance to the stricken teen's location.
He was air lifted to the closest hospital—Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.
There it was discovered the teen had liver and kidney failure caused by exertional heat stroke (EHS), a type of the life-threatening condition triggered by doing vigorous physical activity in warm climates.
Heat stroke occurs when the body loses its ability to cool itself, and its inner temperature—which usually hovers around 37C—rapidly increases to over 40C.
The heart begins frantically pumping blood to try to cool it against the skin's surface.
The increased temperatures can also damage internal organs, leading to irreparable damage, or even catastrophic failure.
Will was transferred to Birmingham Children's Hospital to be prepped for a potential liver transplant.
Recalling this time, Ms Coen, who worked in the healthcare industry for over 30 years, and is now retired, said: 'I just couldn't believe it was happening.'
Medics concluded that, although Will drank a litre and a half of water during his run, his body was dehydrated due to a stomach bug he'd suffered the week prior.
'Liver failure can go one of two ways,' said Ms Coen. 'It either spontaneously starts to recover, or you need a transplant.
'Luckily, Will's liver took a turn for the better and he started to improve, and we were sent home four days later.'
After being discharged from hospital, Will has undergone regular check-ups and has since made a full recovery.
Now, he wants to warn others, particularly during the warm weather in the summer, to 'listen to their bodies' and stop physical activity if they notice unusual symptoms.
Ms Coen has urged others to download the what3words app.
'I dread to think what would have happened if George didn't have the app on his phone… but he's here now, and that's all that matters,' she said.
According to the NHS, tell-tale signs of the precursor to heat stroke, heat exhaustion, include tiredness, a high temperature, excessive sweating, being thirsty and weakness.
Others include fast breathing, rapid heart rate, being headaches, nausea, vomiting, clammy and/or pale skin, as well as cramps in the arms, legs and stomach.
While symptoms are often the same in adults and children, those under 18 may become irritable too.
If someone is showing these signs, the NHS advice is to cool them down and give them fluids.
The NHS advises that heat exhaustion will not typically need emergency medical help if you can cool down within 30 minutes.
But if symptoms persist or worsen after 30 minutes, it may have turned into a heat stroke—which can be life threatening so you should call 999 immediately.
It can be fatal because when your body's temperature regulation system fails, it can lead to dangerously high temperatures that can cause organ damage.
Other signs of heat stroke are a very high temperature, hot skin that's not sweating and might look red, rapid heartbeat, fast breathing, shortness of breath, confusion, lack of coordination, seizures or fits, and loss of consciousness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns of the dangers of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which can be deadly
However, the changes in skin colour during a heat stroke can be harder to see on brown and black skin, the NHS warns.
Latest data revealed there were 1,311 heat-related deaths during four spates of hot weather in the UK last summer.
Those most vulnerable with the highest death rates were the elderly who were older than the age of 75.
This month, the NHS reported a 198 per cent increase in website visits from people looking for heat exhaustion advice as temperatures soared across England.
