A 7-year-old Tennessee girl died after suffocating on a balloon she received for her birthday. Channa Kelly, Alexandra Kelly’s mother, is warning others about the perils of festive adornment.
In a Facebook post, the bereaved mother stated that on September 24, she purchased a giant rainbow number 7 balloon inflated with helium and roughly ten Roblox-themed latex balloons for her 7-year-old daughter.
Mrs Kelly wrote, “As a parent, I was always aware of the choking hazard of latex balloons, but never imagined that there was such a risk regarding these very large Mylar helium-filled balloons.”
Alexandra popped all of her latex balloons a week after her birthday. She went to lie down in her bedroom “unaware of any dangers with [the non-latex] balloon,” as her daughter played, and when she returned to the living room, Alexandra was face down on the floor and unresponsive, with the Mylar balloon over her head.
“I thought for a second that she fell asleep but then noticed [that the] balloon was around her head. I quickly removed the balloon, called 911, and began CPR right away. And I asked the 911 operators to remind me of the steps of CPR because it had been so long since my last certification and I didn’t want to mess up,” she added.
Police and medics came shortly later
Police and medics came shortly later, but their attempts to resuscitate her were futile.
“On Sunday, October 1st my entire world collapsed around me all because I was unaware of the risk surrounding these types of balloons. It is unknown whether she passed away from helium poisoning or suffocation. We are currently awaiting the preliminary results for the final determination of her cause of death. I was told that this could take up to 4 to 6 months,” she said.
The cause of death is being investigated by the Clinton Police Department.
According to data from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, balloons are the leading cause of suffocation deaths in children among all children’s items.