A mother of two tragically passed away after drinking four pints of water in just 20 minutes, causing her brain to swell. Ashley Summers, 35, from Indiana, USA, collapsed and was rushed to the hospital by her family. She had only complained of a headache and feeling thirsty earlier that day. At the hospital, doctors diagnosed Ashley with water toxicity, also known as hyponatremia. This condition happens when there’s too much water and not enough sodium in the body, the Mirror USA reports.
Devon, Ashley’s brother, was shocked by his sister’s condition. He said, “It was a big shock to us all. I was just like, ‘this is a thing?’ “She just felt like she couldn’t get enough water… When they left the sand bar to when they got to the dock, it was about a 20-minute boat ride… she drank four bottles of water in that 20 minutes. That’s half a gallon. That’s what you’re supposed to drink in a whole day.
“My (other) sister, Holly, called me, and she was just an absolute wreck. She was like, ‘Ashley is in the hospital. She has brain swelling, they don’t know what’s causing it, they don’t know what they can do to get it to go down, and it’s not looking good’.”
Devon Miller, 51, Summers’ other brother from Des Moines, Iowa, said, “Her husband Cody told me that on the drive home she had her head in her hands when she leaned over into her lap because she felt dizzy. She was walking across the garage into the house… passed out and never really woke up.”
Ashley never woke up again, and doctors diagnosed her with water poisoning or hyponatremia. This condition happens when someone drinks too much water in a short amount of time, which can overwhelm the body’s ability to balance fluids. Drinking too much water can be harmful in rare cases. These situations usually involve intense physical activity, substance use, or other factors.