Tragedy struck for Oklahoma parents Brian and Stephanie Florer, who lost their two-year-old daughter very suddenly after a few days of having a low-grade fever.
Toddler Brianna Florer was feeling under the weather for a few days, according to her grandfather Kent Vice, who often took care of her while her parents were working. Then, things took a sudden turn for the worse; the Florer’s rushed Brianna to the Grove hospital when she started turning blue and throwing up blood. There, an x-ray revealed the cause of her alarming symptoms: she had swallowed a small button-shaped battery.
Brianna was rushed to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa to remove the battery via surgery. ”They operated on her for 2 hours, but they couldn’t stop the bleeding,’ Vice recounts, “They believed the battery ate through to her carotid artery by way of her esophagus.” (1)
Sadly, the medical team was not able to save Brianna and she died after surgery. “One minute she is perfect, and the next minute she is dead,’ Vice said. ‘We had no idea when she swallowed it.” Doctors estimate Brianna had swallowed the battery about 6 days earlier, over the course of which time it had eroded and caused severe damage.
Vice went on to say, “She never — not one time — had a bad day. She was always happy and laughing. I took care of her — she was just an angel.” (2)
Warning to Parents: Watch Out For Dangerous Household Items
Small children have a high risk of swallowing small items around the house without the notice of adults, which can pose two serious dangers: poisoning or choking. According to the New York State Department of Health, choking is the fourth leading cause of unintentional death for children under 5 years old. (3)
Common risky choking hazard household items young children commonly swallow include: (3)
- Latex balloons
- coins
- marbles
- toys with small parts
- mall balls, pen or marker caps
- button type batteries
- medicine syringes
- screws
- stuffing from a bean bag chair
- rings and earrings
- crayons
- erasers
- staples and safety pins
- small stones
- tiny figures
- holiday decorations including tinsel, or ornaments and lights
- small foods such as nuts, grapes, and popcorn
According to the National Capital Poison Center, the most common poison risks for young children include: (4)
- prescription pills not safely locked away
- clean products
- nail glue remover
- pesticides
- topical anesthetics such as teething gels
- windshield washer fluid
The best way to protect children under 5 from the risk of swallowing a choking hazard or poisonous substance is to keep them under constant supervision as much as possible. Check your floors for small objects at least once or twice a day, and keep high-risk items such as medications, vitamins, and cleaners far out of reach of curious hands.
