“It makes you feel like you failed your son,” says the mother of a child hospitalized for swallowing 16 magnetic balls in Florida

Shock in USA. A 2-year-old is delicate and must be fed through a tube after undergoing surgery for swallowing 16 magnetic balls, which are known as “Buckyballs”. The child was operated on at the Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital in Florida.

Based on media reports “WESH”(Orlando), Hannah Arrington said that her son, named Konin, ingested the magnetic balls because one of his brothers brought them home. “By the time he had them from whoever gave them, Konin ended up swallowing 16 of those and we had no idea”, she commented.

“They went straight down his digestive tract, and then every time he found another somewhere in the house, he swallowed it too. It makes you feel like you failed your son,” she added.

Swallowing more than one of these magnets can lead to these objects being continually drawn into the intestines. For this reason, they perforate the cavity of the abdomen and cause blood poisoning.

Hannah Arrington, a mother of five, indicated that after Konin undergoes multiple surgeries, had to go back to the medical center, and is now feeding through a tube with a tube because he cannot hold down the food he eats.

The woman is aware of what happened to her son and warns other parents to check everything their children bring home. “My husband and I never thought we would have to examine our children when they come home from school.”

“Check your children’s backpacks and ask them how they did, but also their pants or shirt pockets”, she deepened.

We contacted the company that manufactures the “Buckyballs”, but got no response. These magnetic toys appear to have a label that reads: “Stay away from all children! Do not put it in the nose or mouth. When swallowed, magnets can stick to the intestines and cause serious damage or death.”

Last November, a 6-year-old boy had to undergo several operations in New Jersey after swallowing magnetic games that caused about 8 holes in his intestines. Another similar case occurred the same month in Indiana. A 4-year-old boy was hospitalized in an emergency for eating 27 magnetic balls.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned the population of the danger that these magnets pose to children. They were even prohibited for several years before authorizing them in 2016. According to the entity, between 2009 and 2018, 4,500 cases similar to the Konin were identified in hospitals.