Mother Stranded At Sea Drinks Her Own Urine To Breastfeed Children, But Dies Of Dehydration

A 40-year-old woman, who was stranded at sea with her children after their boat was destroyed by a wave, drank her own urine so she could save her kids by breastfeeding them. She died of dehydration by the time rescuers located her.

Mariely Chacón, of Venezuela, was on board a yacht with her 6-year-old son, 2-year-old daughter, husband and nanny when disaster struck. They were on a pleasure trip from Higuerote to Tortuga Island in the Caribbean when their vessel broke down on Sept. 3, according to the Google translation of Spanish media Univision.

A strong wave tore apart the boat's hull, forcing the group to spend three days adrift on a lifeboat. Chacón felt the only way to save her children was by constantly breastfeeding them. So, she drank her own urine to survive, reports said.

The search and rescue crew located them four days later. However, Chacón had died by then. Her children, identified as Jose David and Maria Beatriz, were found clinging to her body. Their nanny, 25-year-old Verónica Martinez, was found hunkering down in an empty icebox to escape the blazing sun. The kids and the nanny were severely dehydrated and had first-degree burns. They were rushed to a hospital.

The search continues for the remaining people, including her husband and the boat's skipper. Officials said there was very little chance of finding them, reported New York Post.

Experts said Chacón suffered organ failure due to electrolyte depletion caused by dehydration, which was possibly accelerated by breastfeeding.

The lifeboat was spotted on Sept. 6 drifting off the island of La Orchila and the coast guard vessel reached the craft the next day, according to Venezuela's National Maritime Authority (INEA).

"The mother who died kept her children alive by breastfeeding them and drinking her own urine," an INEA spokesperson said. "She died three or four hours before the rescue from dehydration after drinking no water for three days."

In May, an 11-year-old girl and her father swam for nine kilometers after their yacht ran into trouble in "treacherous" conditions in Australia. Glenn Anderson and his 11-year-old daughter, Ruby, had drifted away after their boat broke down. They were saved by rescue personnel.