Family shares harrowing pictures of ‘lifeless’ teen in coma after vodka binge ‘as warning to others’
Melissa Aho's daughter Ryleigh told her she was going to a sleepover
A MUM has shared shocking pictures of her 15-year-old daughter lying "lifeless" in a coma - in an attempt to warn children of the dangers of binge drinking.
Melissa Aho, posted the photos of daughter Ryleigh Ackles online after the teenager was left "foaming at the mouth", vomiting into her lungs and repeatedly falling over as a result of downing Cîroc vodka.
Ryleigh, who weighs under 7 stone, nearly died after her blood alcohol content reached a near-fatal 0.28 per cent.
A blood alcohol content of over 0.35 can cause death.
Fortunately, an acquaintance alerted her mum and Ryleigh was rushed to hospital, where medics were able to stabilise her.
In a Facebook post, Melissa, from Massachusetts, USA, explained Ryleigh had told her she was going to sleep over at her friend's house.
She wrote: "This past Saturday night my 15 year old daughter asked me to sleep at a friend's house and go to the movies. I said yes.
"She has always been very good about communicating with me and checking in with me.
"But her plans changed that night and the series of events that followed are nothing that any family should have to experience.
"I received a fb [Facebook] message at 1am saying someone had received a phone call saying that my daughter Ryleigh was somewhere passed out.
"Immediately my heart sank and I tried to call her phone repeatedly and of course there was no answer.
"I questioned who, where, when, whys...and received no answer back because that girl was already in route of finding the girl who called her and my daughter, picked them up and brought them to my driveway.
"As I opened the car door to see my daughter, lifeless and foaming at the mouth covered in vomit. 911 was on their way."
Ryleigh was rushed to the local hospital, where she was intubated and transferred to University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center.
Upon reaching the hospital, her devastated family were told the tragic teen was no longer breathing on her own.
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Then, for 14 hours, Melissa "begged and pleaded" with doctors, as memories of her daughter's life so far flashed before her eyes.
Incredibly, eventually Ryleigh opened her eyes - and she is now expected to make a full recovery.
Her mum explained: "I suffered 14 long hours pleading and begging for my daughter's life, experiencing flashbacks from the moment she was born, to her first smile and giggle, the first time she said Mumma, her first step, her 1st birthday, her first day of school, her first friendship, sleepover, sickness, her graduation of middle school, our private mother daughter moments, laughing, joking, running, snuggling and so forth.
I was thinking of her siblings and what losing her would do to them and the rest of her family and all of the people that love her."
She added: "My beautiful daughter finally by the grace of God opened her big beautiful green eyes to see her Mumma and asked for her sister.
"We are on our way to a long recovery due to breathing issues, bodily injury from her repeatedly falling while intoxicated, lacerations to her eye, and the worry she doesn't develop a pneumonia from vomit being in her lungs, so we are not fully out of the woods yet, but she is home, safe and as comfortable as she can be right now."
Melissa said she decided to share the harrowing photos to warn other children - and to highlight the importance of teenagers looking out for each other and getting help when something goes wrong.
She wrote: "My daughter was with a group of teens, I'm sure as the started to notice some signs that Ryleigh was not okay panic started to set in, they thought they would get in trouble if they tried to get help so they left her there.
"Only 1 girl who was not even her friend but an acquaintance stayed with her, trying to find a way to get my information and she succeeded.
She didn't care about getting in trouble herself, she wanted to get her the help she so desperately needed...
"I'm sharing our experience so that EVERY TEEN who may come to be in this situation knows....you will NOT get in trouble for getting someone help!!!!
"You have the ability to SAVE a precious life."