A young girl has lost her life in a most controversial and avoidable fashion after she swallowed a small button battery.
Brianna Florer
A beautiful young toddler has died after she swallowed a battery over the Christmas holidays, reports the Mirror. The two-year-old Brianna Florer was taken ill just a day after opening her presents at her grandparents home on Boxing Day.
It was reported that the youngster, from Oklahoma, was rushed to hospital after her skin turned blue and she began throwing up blood. Grandfather, Kent Vice told Tulsa World: "On Saturday she was fine. It was a perfect Christmas."
However, Doctors found out that the tot had swallowed a small button battery and she was immediately transferred to another hospital for surgery.
Mr Vice told the newspaper: "They operated on her for two and a half hours, but they couldn’t stop the bleeding.
"They believed the battery (acid) ate through to her carotid artery by way of her esophagus... We had no idea when she swallowed it ."
Brianna swallowed a button battery which killed her
Parents Brian and Stephanie Florer were told their daughter had most likely swallowed the battery within six days of her death, Tulsa World reported.
A post mortem is due to take place in the next two to four months to determine the little girl's official cause of death.
Brianna's heartbroken family now want to raise awareness of the danger of button batteries. Mr Vice added: "I want to keep these things out of houses. They are dangerous." The family has set up a GoFundMe page requesting $7,500 to help cover the toddler’s funeral expenses.