A Wisconsin infant died in a tragic accident after biting a balloon animal at a Halloween party, causing part of the balloon to become lodged in his esophagus, according to a report.
Don’Vayaire Avita-Mays, known affectionately as “Baby Don,” died Oct. 24, just two days before his first birthday, his devastated mother, Kisha Avita-Wilson, told NBC Chicago.
“We were keeping the balloons away from Baby Don, and one of the balloons came undone,” Avita-Wilson told the outlet.
“He grabbed it and bit it. When he did, the tied-up part shot into the bottom of his esophagus,” she recalled.
“I grabbed him immediately out of his car seat. I performed CPR … I stuck my fingers down his throat,” Avita-Wilson said.
“The person I was with tried to do the same things, and he turned blue immediately and went into cardiac arrest.”
First responders attempted to remove the rubber fragment from the 11-month-old’s throat using a tube and pliers, but they were unable to save him.
“There was nothing we could have done to save my baby boy,” Avita-Wilson said.
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“I don’t like to talk about him in the past tense, but he isn’t here with us any longer.”
Avita-Wilson, who is seven months pregnant, has experienced contractions and premature dilation amid the intense stress of her grief, according to a GoFundMe page created to help cover the family’s funeral expenses.
“He was a handsome little boy whose laugh was infectious, whose smile could light up any room and who was loved by so many,” Avita-Wilson’s aunt, Mary Lott, wrote in the fundraiser’s description.
“We ask that everyone continue to pray for Kisha, her girls and especially her unborn child,” Lott added.
Avita-Wilson is urging officials to impose stricter marketing restrictions on balloon products.
“Balloons have warnings on them, but that is not enough,” she told NBC.
“They should stop selling them. Stop marketing them to kids. Stop producing them.”
