"He got the surgery done and they took out almost three feet of his small intestine," said the toddler's mother.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on June 25, 2021. It has since been updated.
Trigger Warning: This story contains distressing images that may be disturbing to readers.
Young kids are wired to put anything they find right into their mouths, and this turned into one mom's worst nightmare as her 2-year-old son accidentally swallowed a part of a magnetic toy that contained 16 small magnets. According to CNN, Konin Arrington, the youngest of five kids, found the pieces to the toy, commonly known as a Buckyball or Buckycube, after one of his older siblings brought it home from school in April.
When mom Hannah Arrington and her husband discovered the toy—made for adults and composed of multiple small, high-powered magnetic balls—they immediately threw it out because they knew it could prove dangerous should it fall into the hands of their youngest child; unbeknown to them that the damage was already done.
On May 18, Konan began to experience abdominal pain, and he was rushed to the hospital. He was advised to get an x-ray to rule out appendicitis, but that's when the real problem was revealed. The young boy swallowed 16 small magnetic balls that linked together in his intestine, extending down to his colon, creating holes all along. "On the X-ray, it showed a line that almost looked like a pull chain cord for a fan," Arrington said.
"We got rushed from our local hospital to Arnold Palmer (Hospital for Children)," Arrington said. "He got the surgery done and they took out almost three feet of his small intestine. He also had to get the holes in his stomach repaired, holes in his large intestine repaired, and a part near his colon repaired as well." A week after his surgery, he went home, but he started to lose weight.
Now, according to PEOPLE, he was readmitted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando on June 9, where he was diagnosed with short bowel syndrome and has to begin using a feeding tube.
A GoFundMe page was set up to fund the little boy's treatment because "His recovery has been difficult as he has lost over 30% of his body weight due to Small Bowel Syndrome & an infection post-surgery," stated to the page. "He was admitted back to Arnold Palmer on 6/9 and has had 3 feeding tubes placed. We are now going on to a 4th feeding tube... as he has yet to gain any weight."
Since Konin had to spend a lot of time in the hospital, Arrington has been out of work indefinitely and her husband Ken has taken time off to care for their other four kids. Arrington's latest update on the fundraiser shows that the boy is back home, but they will have to continue going to the hospital for checkups. "We got to go home for a bit as Konin is stable! He will be on his feeds for 20 hours a day with us providing round-the-clock care until we go back to the Children's hospital for some Major tests. Lots of doc appointments next week too! Please keep the prayers coming as we have a LONG road ahead with his SBS & a few other issues they are trying to get pinpointed."
Arrington hopes no other parent goes through such an ordeal and wants to warn other parents to keep an eye on the toys their kids play with. "I don't think parents understand the amount of seriousness these desk toys have," Arrington said. "Parents shouldn't have to worry that their kids are going to bring a toy home that could kill a younger sibling. ... You can die from it, you can have lifelong issues from it, because look where we are."
Surprisingly, this is not the first time a child has swallowed something magnetic. Dr. Jenna Wheeler, a critical care physician at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children says that in 2021 alone, the hospital has treated four children for swallowing magnets. "The concern with swallowing these toys is that the intestines can become twisted and pinched between the magnets, which can cut off blood flow to the intestines," Wheeler said. "If that segment of the intestines dies, it may need to be removed. And if not caught early enough, it could even lead to death."
References:
https://people.com/human-interest/florida-boy-suffers-complications-after-swallowing-16-magnetic-balls/
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/16/us/2-year-old-swallowed-16-magnetic-balls-trnd/index.html
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-arringtons-with-konins-medical-journey
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe/Help the Arringtons with Konins medical journey
Disclaimer : This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
