If there is one thing that we know about little children, it’s the fact that they like to put things in their mouths. We eventually grow out of it but for the first few years of our life, our parents really have to be diligent when it comes to keeping us safe from that type of harm. Unfortunately, there are times when children manage to eat things that they shouldn’t, despite the parents’ best efforts.
A two-year-old British girl has passed away, leaving a mother behind that is warning parents of the danger of batteries. She had swallowed a remote control battery and died after the acid from the battery seared her throat and a major artery according to a report from the Sun. She shared a photo of her beautiful daughter on Facebook as a memorial.
Stacey Nicklin recounted the final words her daughter spoke to her: “Mummy, I need you!” She spoke to BBC Breakfast and said she wasn’t aware of the dangers associated with batteries. She is doing what she can to help keep other parents from suffering after a similar tragedy.
She had found a remote control with the missing battery in the bedroom but prior to that time, she had no idea her daughter had swallowed something. At this point, she doesn’t care if she saves one child or 100 children, she is helping to raise awareness. She said: “They need to be more secure. Parents need to check. Just check, check, check.”
The little girl’s older sister was watching her and she described how the two-year-old’s head went backward suddenly and she started to throw up blood. She went unresponsive, started wheezing, and wasn’t able to speak.
When the issue came to light, they rushed her to Royal Stoke University Hospital. They took her into surgery and the surgeon came out about halfway through the operation to tell the mother that she had swallowed a button battery. She died during the surgery of cardiac arrhythmia.
At a later time, she found the remote control in her daughter’s bedroom. The back of the remote wasn’t even secure, it just slid out and exposed her child to the danger. Now the family is left to pick up the pieces and are dealing with the grief of losing a child.
There are some warning symptoms that parents should be aware of, including coughing up blood and drooling. Parents were also given a strong warning by the Staffordshire Safeguarding Children Board, saying that emergency services should be called immediately if they feel that the child may have swallowed a battery.