The family of just 17-month old toddler said their child pass away after swallowing a button battery from a kids’ toy.
Hugh McMahon Senior, father of toddler Hugh remembers the last time he put his son to sleep. It was Christmas Eve and the family just reached with eleventh-hour festive shopping at their home in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. Hugh Senior went upstairs to say goodnight to his young son and then he joined his wife Christine and their three other children to wrap Christmas gifts.
Sometime later the parents noticed their 17-month-old child, Hugh lying on his back with an abnormal rasp coming from his chest and the little child was looking at the ceiling. They realised that Hugh’s breathing was going and colour waning. He was just collapsing and that makes them terrified.
Parents called-up an ambulance and paramedics provided him oxygen. Toddler Hugh and his mum Christine were brought to the hospital while his father followed them after in his car. Hugh was revived from unconsciousness by the time his father reached to the hospital.
Doctors found Hugh’s blood was acidic but they did not ascertain where the blood coming from. Parents were told that child have to be taken to a specialist care otherwise he would almost surely pass away.
Medical examinations later confirmed that a hole almost of the size of 50 pence had been charred in his heart and it had most possibly been caused by swallowing a button battery which had stuck in Hugh’s gullet.
Doctors carried out a 12-hour long operation but the little child continued to bleed and suffered wounds so severe that he would ultimately be taken off life support system.
Parents were told that Hugh had brain injury and it went from that to his other body parts and making them non-functional. They were told that their child would never be able to eat by self and he would have to be tube-fed since his throat was all charred.
Hugh had battled such a solid fight and it took such a toll on his tiny body. His parents washed him, cut his hair and spent as much time with their toddler as they could. Finally doctors turned off the life support device.
