In a heartfelt post, a mother, Keri Volmert, shares the devastating story of losing her 18-month-old daughter, Sammie, while asleep in her nursery.
On the night of February 28, 2016, Keri and her husband put Sammie to bed, unaware it would be the last time they saw her alive.
The following morning, Keri’s husband found Sammie unresponsive, having tragically passed due to elevated body temperature caused by a malfunctioning thermostat.
Keri explained how Sammie, despite being in an upstairs room with the thermostat set to 72 degrees, succumbed to heat exposure because the heater malfunctioned, making the room unbearably hot.
The thermostat later registered over 100 degrees, leading to Sammie’s death. The family was shocked to learn that young children, unlike adults, can’t regulate their body temperature effectively until around age three to five.
“On February 28, 2016, I changed my precious baby into her tiny nightgown, wiped her snotty little nose, and walked through the living room with her in my arms as she proudly said ‘night night’ to her daddy and big brother,” Keri wrote on Facebook.
“I carried her up the stairs and placed her down in her beautiful crib. She cried a little bit, and I walked out of the room knowing she would be asleep within two minutes as she always was.
“I never would have imagined it would be the last time I would see her alive.”
Keri reflects on how they took precautions such as avoiding blankets and stuffed toys in the crib but were unaware of the risks associated with faulty heating systems.
She shared her heartbreaking story on a Facebook page in Sammie’s memory to raise awareness for other families, especially those in two-story homes. Keri regrets not having installed a simple temperature monitor and urges parents to take precautions.
“There is a cheap temperature monitor I could have had – would have had If I had heard of even one instance where a child could die by a heater not turning off like it is supposed to,” she said, explaining how their three-year-old son Jackson had been sleeping in their bedroom and would have likely died as well had he been asleep in his own room.
Keri has encouraged people to share her devastating story, saying: “It might mean everything to another family. […] We want others (especially those with two-story homes) to hear Sammie’s story so that children can be protected and other families spared from the horrific grief we are forced to endure each day.”
She believes that sharing Sammie’s story could potentially save lives and spare others the unimaginable grief her family faces.
The tragedy has inspired the family to continue advocating for child safety by spreading awareness, hoping their painful experience can help others avoid such devastation.
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