Nationwide — Kisha Avita-Wilson is grieving the loss of her 11-month-old son, Don’Vyaire, after a piece of a balloon became lodged in his esophagus during a family Halloween event in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The baby died on Oct. 24, just two days before his first birthday, despite attempts to save him.
She had taken her two older daughters to a trunk-or-treat event, where the children received balloon animals. The family tried to keep the balloons away from the baby, but one eventually came undone. Don’Vyaire grabbed the loose piece and bit into it, causing the balloon’s tied-up section to shoot into the lower part of his esophagus.
The mother recalled how quickly the situation turned into an emergency. “I grabbed him immediately out of his car seat. I performed CPR … I stuck my fingers down his throat. The person that I was with tried to do the same things also, and he turned blue immediately and went into cardiac arrest,” she told NBC Chicago.
Paramedics arrived and attempted to remove the balloon piece by inserting a tube down the baby’s throat and using a pair of pliers. However, their efforts were unsuccessful. Avita-Wilson said there was nothing more anyone could have done to save her son. “I don’t like to talk about him in past tense, but he isn’t here with us any longer,” she told NBC Chicago.
The loss has also affected the family during an already important time in Avita-Wilson’s pregnancy. She is currently 30 weeks pregnant, and the stress surrounding her son’s death reportedly caused her to experience early contractions and premature cervical dilation. Her aunt and adoptive mother shared the update in a GoFundMe post, explaining that she had to be hospitalized. The family created the fundraiser to help pay for the baby’s funeral and remembered him as “a handsome little boy whose laugh was infectious, whose smile could light up any room, and who was loved by so many.” They also asked people to pray for his mother, two older sisters and unborn sibling. It has so far raised over $9,000.
Following the tragedy, Avita-Wilson is urging other parents to be more cautious about keeping balloons around young children. She also wants manufacturers to stop selling and promoting them to kids, arguing that the warnings printed on balloon packaging are not enough to prevent accidents. “They should stop selling them. Stop marketing them to kids. Stop producing them,” she said.