8-Year-Old Boy Nearly Drowns Due to ‘Shallow Water Blackout’

One young boy survived a near-fatal experience in his family’s backyard pool. 

Dylan Smith, 8, was swimming in at home in South Florida in June, when he suffered from a shallow water blackout. Underwater Hypoxic Blackout (also known as shallow water blackout) “occurs when a swimmer loses consciousness due to lack of oxygen—usually from holding their breath too long,” according to a site dedicated to raising awareness of the fatal condition. 

Dylan’s doctor, Dr. Asumthia S. Jeyapalan, told CBS News that when this occurs, the amount of oxygen in the patient’s blood is too low and they will “pass out in the water and drown.” She said everyone has a “different tolerance level,” and some people “may not have the energy to go up and rise.”

At the time of the accident, the elementary school student held his breath as he swam the length of the pool, which ultimately caused the near-death accident, his mother, Tiffany Graver-Smith, told CBS News. She told the outlet that Dylan was trying to do that multiple times, but then “it got really eerie and quiet.” 

“My house is never that quiet,” she said. “It made me look up and I saw Dylan in the corner of the pool.” 

His father, Brandon Smith, then spotted him “lifeless,” with water coming out of his mouth and nose. “I just instantly jumped in the pool and grabbed Dylan from Tiffany. I said a quick prayer, and I laid him on the edge of the shallow end of the pool and just started CPR,” Brandon told the outlet.

As Brandon administered CPR, the couple’s daughter sought a neighbor, Lissette Medina, a physician assistant, for further assistance.

She performed CPR for seven-and-a-half minutes until rescue crews arrived, she told her alma mater, Florida International University. “Something came over me that told me to stop thinking and just do,” she said. Medina also assisted the first responders with suction and intubation.

The first responders transported Dylan to Holtz Children’s Hospital in Miami, where his parents were informed he may not survive. Tiffany told the outlet that Dylan’s doctor, Dr. Kathryn Swaby, told her, “ ‘You may not go home with your son,’ ” 

“I remember being really mad at her for saying that because I was like, ‘Don’t give up on my son yet,’ ” Tiffany recalled.

Dr. Swaby acknowledged, “The fact that he was able to wake up and to respond to instructions and to remember things with his dad, like remembering the handshake that he and his dad used to do, was just incredible on its own.” 

Dylan’s survival story is miraculous; Dr. Swaby said most children who suffer from submersion injuries typically don’t survive.  

Medina told FIU, “This was a really rare case—typically, they don’t make it.”

“There are approximately 140,000 deaths annually from drowning worldwide,” and an estimated 20% of those deaths (28,000) are linked to shallow water blackout, according to Swimming Canada National.

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Since the incident, Dylan received treatment and tests, including therapeutic hypothermia and a clear MRI. The therapy involves lowering Dylan’s body temperature in an attempt “to slow disease progression” and/or preserve brain function after a brain injury, according to Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

He spent two months at the hospital recovering, including learning how to walk, talk and breathe properly. Swaby added that they’ve been able to watch Dylan “continue to grow and improve and get back to a near normal state is really such a miracle.”

Physical Therapist Kyle Zreibe noted for CBS News that Dylan put in “a lot of hard work and determination,” adding, “Dylan is truly one of a kind.” 

The children’s hospital also has a pool, and the young boy was reportedly ready to jump right back in.

A GoFundMe page to raise money for the family’s unexpected medical bills. In the page description, Dylan is described as a “remarkable” kid, who is a “karate master in the making, he moves with the agility of a superhero and embraces life with the heart of an angel.” 

The GoFundMe page shares how Dylan “finds joy in nature and all the adventures it offers, and his charisma, gentle spirit, and infectious smile have a way of lighting up every room.”

“Dylan brings laughter, wonder, and unforgettable joy to everyone around him,” the page reads.