A 17-month-old toddler Reese had a tragic death after she swallowed a button battery. Struggling in the hospital for several weeks, Reese succumbed after the battery corroded her internal organs.
The grieving mother Trista Hamsmith said this kind of incident should not happen to any other family and urged lawmakers to enact new laws that ensure child safety and make battery carrying compartments of devices perfectly sealed with screws.
The incident reported from Los Angels said Reese was taken to a paediatrician suspecting a cold following heavy wheezing.
The doctor diagnosed Croup, a common infection in the upper airway. But the toddler’s discomfort led the mother to a missing button battery in a device raising the suspicion that the kid might have swallowed it. An X-ray test confirmed it and the mother told FOX TV that CT scans also showed a hole in her oesophagus and trachea.
Medical interventions did not help and finally, the toddler succumbed. Reese spent many weeks in and out of hospitals treating for the inflammation and other conditions which showed no improvement. Reese died on Dec. 17, 2020.
“The autopsy report noted complications from a button battery ingestion,” mother Hamsmith revealed.
The inconsolable mother says Reese was a “spitfire, spunky, sassy angel and a cynosure of all eyes whenever she walked into any room. In a tribute to the departed, Hamsmith also announced a Facebook page with caption “Pray for Reese Hamsmith.”
Change laws
Hamsmith appealed to lawmakers to mandate screws on devices that contain compartments for button batteries. She also appealed to companies that produce batteries to make them less lethal chemically to avoid death in case of any ingestion. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, an average of 2,800 children is treated each year for swallowing button batteries.
The academy advised parents to rush such cases to the emergency room and immediately administer 2 teaspoons of honey if the child is above 12 months and can consume liquids.