First grader who swallowed button battery recovering at St. Louis hospital
ST. LOUIS — On Christmas Eve, Leighton Diaz, her five siblings and their parents were excited to gather at their home in Aurora, Missouri, southwest of Springfield.
However, within moments of the celebration, Leighton experienced a sudden scare.
Olivia Diaz, the girl’s mother, said :
She ran to the bathroom really quickly and in the time that was there, trying to get dressed, she put the battery in her mouth,
The frightened first grader accidentally swallowed a quarter-sized button battery.
It was for a custom-made watch Leighton’s grandmother gave her for her birthday in September.
Leighton was born with an under-developed esophagus.
The child’s mom, recalled :
She came out of the bathroom instantly screaming, crying and saying it was hurting and burning her throat,
Her parents first rushed her to an Aurora hospital.
Olivia Diaz, said :
It’s a small, hometown hospital.
“She saw a doctor there, but they essentially weren’t prepared to handle something like this. They didn’t have all the things needed to get that thing out of her. It was absolutely terrifying,”
What’s more, Diaz said there wasn’t any medical transportation available at the hospital at the time.
The couple then hopped in their car with their daughter and drove four hours to St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
The button battery was lodged inside Leighton for seven hours.
Doctors at Children’s Hospital immediately performed a procedure on Leighton.
Her worried parents were thrilled to hear that procedure went well.
Diaz said,
They just used a scope to pull it out. The only thing that made it risky is that the battery had exploded inside of her.
“The fact that there are still fragments inside of her, they couldn’t get all that out. They can’t perform the MRI that they want do do on her in depth right now. I think we’re gonna have a good prognosis eventually. My thing is I just want other parents to know about this. It was very, very scary,”
Button batteries are found in light-up Christmas toys and greeting cards.
Doctors say every year more than 3,000 children nationwide accidentally swallow them. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 70 children have died and thousands have ended up in emergency rooms after swallowing the batteries.
If it happens to your child, you should notify your pediatrician and immediately get to the emergency room.
Doctors also say the sooner the battery is removed, the lesser the likelihood of it causing severe damage.
Her concerned mom, said,
If you have these batteries, keep them put up. Don’t use toys where these batteries just slide on and off. We just want Leighton better,
Leighton’s grateful parents call her their “Christmas miracle.”
The little girl’s mother, said :
They don’t know how she’s still holding on and survived all that. I can just say God kept her. I’m hoping that Leighton’s esophagus just finally heals and we get her home,
Doctors hope Leighton can be released from the hospital in two weeks.
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First grader who swallowed button battery recovering at St. Louis hospital, source
