Heartbroken mum warns of balloon dangers after son's choking death
A devastated mother has warned parents about the dangers of balloons after her little boy died choking on one.
Katie Chamberlain, of Indianapolis in the US, wrote on Facebook she was feeding her nine-month-old Justin on May 31 and then set him down to play in the living room.
Her other children had been playing with water balloons a few days earlier.
She noticed a balloon on the floor and threw it out but did not notice a second one.
“My nine-month-old, while playing, found the balloon and as all babies do, stuck the new object in his mouth,” Ms Chamberlain wrote.
“I didn’t see him put it in his mouth but I looked at him and saw he was gagging so I went to him, in a hurry, hoping to retrieve whatever it was but it was too late.”
The balloon went into Justin’s airway and his lips turned blue.
The tyke’s mum called an ambulance and tried the Heimlich manoeuvre and CPR, but nothing worked.
Paramedics eventually arrived and took 15 minutes to remove the balloon from Justin’s body, but by that time he was in cardiac arrest. He was rushed to hospital but could not be saved.
Indiana University Health’s Dr Edgar Petras told ABC 8 News balloons were the most “common object” to for young children to choke on.
Ms Chamberlain wrote her little boy’s death was “all because of a stupid balloon” and warned parents to be careful with their children around the decoration.
“It’s not worth the enormous risk for a few minutes of fun,” she wrote.
“It’s not worth the horrible guilt that you will feel if something happens to your child.
“Now all we have left are memories, pictures, and a few of his belongings. There is no pain greater than that of a grieving parent.”
Friends of the Chamberlain family have started a GoFundMe page to raise money for his funeral.
