What started as a fun family getaway recently turned into a frightening rush to the hospital for well-known soap actor Greg Vaughan, as Fox News reports.

Recognized for his lengthy tenures on Days of Our Lives and General Hospital, Vaughan has gone public with a health ordeal suffered during a ski and snowboarding trip to the Rocky Mountains.

Scary scenario unfolds

The harrowing situation began after Vaughan traveled to Colorado for an early spring break adventure with his three sons, Jathan, Cavan, and Landan, as Fox News explains.

As described by Vaughan in an Instagram post detailing what happened next, things started to go downhill not long thereafter.

“I was feeling somewhat tired after 1 day, experiencing shortness of breath climbing a few flights of stairs, wheezy, some congestion after some cold snowy conditions, and a headache developing,” he indicated.

Vaughan went on, “I had hydrated all day, so into the night I drank a bottle of Pedialyte and NyQuil'd myself out to be read to tackle BRECK w/the boys the next morning.”

Rapid decline

Despite his best efforts to facilitate an overnight recovery, Vaughn recalled, “Unfortunately, it was a night of tossing, turning, no sleep, coughing, dry heaving & my head felt like it was in a walnut cracker!”

“Disappointedly, morning arrived & I had to tell my boys, plus our friends who just arrived, I was staying home to rest & be my best for our final days to come,” he continued.

However, that optimism soon faded, with the actor recounting that after two more days of feeling poorly, he sought attention at a local urgent care and received surprising news.

“My Blood Oxygen was at 54% & my lungs were full of fluids,” he explained, also noting that “Most people have an oxygen level of 95-100%....”

Altitude sickness blamed

Diagnosed with a bad case of altitude sickness, Vaughan later gave fans an update, saying, “Well 4hrs later, a couple of bags of IV & oxygen tank strapped to my face, I was told that I needed to immediately get off the mountain!”

“However, I couldn't, we still had another day to go & wanting the boys to enjoy their last day on the hill tops! I opted to go home with an oxygen tank, a good laugh for everyone, and I know I will follow, but my boys looked after their old man & fortunately they had friends on this trip,” Vaughan said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Colorado ski resorts featuring lodgings located at elevations of 8,000 to 10,000 feet, so it is not entirely surprising that Vaughan may have been susceptible to the symptoms he suffered.

In the end, it appears that the unexpected health scare left Vaughan feeling grateful, telling fans and followers, “As the say, 'take a breathe [sic] and smell the roses!' That is truly something we need to remember & appreciate!”