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Elderly woman hospitalized, needs multiple surgeries after severe sunburn
An 82-year-old Arizona woman suffered third-degree burns and organ damage after falling asleep on a metal lounge chair at a community pool.. FOX 10's Andrew Christiansen learns how a day at the pool turned critical.
SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. - An elderly San Tan Valley woman is in the hospital with third-degree burns after falling asleep on a metal chair in the sun for an hour.
What we know:
Betty Lou Summer, 82, just wanted to enjoy a relaxing afternoon at her community pool in Johnson Ranch. But after falling asleep in a metal lounge chair, the heat took a devastating toll. By the time her neighbors noticed her, she was severely burned and suffering from a massive heat stroke.
"The sun basically fried everything," said Michelle Gabbert, Summer's daughter. "She lost the tip of her pinky because of the metal lounge chair."
On June 18, people at the Johnson Ranch community pool in San Tan Valley saw Summer sunbathing, but then realized she was unresponsive and jumped in to help.
"I'm glad they went to go check on her because she would have died otherwise at the pool," Gabbert said. "Her core body temperature was over 104."
Dig deeper:
Paramedics rushed Summer to a nearby hospital before transferring her to the Valleywise Burn Center. She suffered severe burns to her chest, abdomen, and legs.
"She was covered in blisters and unresponsive," Gabbert said.
What they're saying:
Her daughter, Michelle Gabbert, says her mother went into severe shock with liver and kidney damage. Summer has already been through two surgeries and still needs skin grafts.
"They had to put her on the ventilator, a lot of medications to keep her alive and eventually she ended up on dialysis just because of the heat stroke," Gabbert said.
Big picture view:
Gabbert, who is an internal doctor, says she has seen patients with similar conditions.
"I never thought I would see something like this in one of my own family members just from being out in the sun for an hour," Gabbert said.
Valleywise Health says kids and seniors are especially vulnerable to heat. They say people should always test surfaces with the back of their hand before sitting down.
"I advise sunscreen, wearing the big hats, protective clothing, stay in the shade," Gabbert said.
Gabbert is hoping her mother can recover quickly and rejoin her friends and family.
"She's leaning on her community now to also give her the support," Gabbert said.
What's next:
Gabbert said she's expecting Summer to be in the hospital for about a month, and for her recovery to last several months.
What you can do:
The family has set up a GoFundMe for Summer.
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The Source: