Hughie McMahon died after he ate battery which turned his blood acidic and burned hole in his heart. Photo / Facebook
Hughie McMahon died after he ate battery which turned his blood acidic and burned hole in his heart. Photo / Facebook
A devastated couple have opened up on their heartbreak when their baby son died after swallowing a button battery.
Scottish 1-year-old Hughie McMahon suffered catastrophic organ damage after swallowing a tint battery from a toy, which turned his blood "acidic" and burned a 1.77mm hole in his heart.
His devastated parents Christine McDonald, 32, and Hugh McMahon, 29, say they later discovered a battery missing from his VTech Swing & Sing monkey teddy.
Hughie's parents said he went floppy when they put him to bed and could hear a sinister rattling sound from his chest.
He struggled to open his eyes and his parents, unaware he swallowed a battery, called an ambulance.
"It was everywhere. I couldn't understand how things could change from Christmas Eve to finding my son in a hospital room."
Experts discovered his blood had "turned acidic" and wouldn't clot and Hughie underwent a 12-hour operation as surgeons tried to find out why.
"They told us it could leave him paralysed for life or cause a heart attack and he'd be left with severe brain damage," she said.
"His liver and kidneys were damaged, his lungs had collapsed and his heart was inflamed."
Then the couple were told the devastating news.
"The doctor came in with two nurses. I could tell they had been crying," Christine said.
"The surgeon told us Hughie had ingested a button battery. It had become lodged in his oesophagus and burned a hole right through his heart. They had only seen something like it once before," she said.
"[The surgeon] told me if my boy made it through, he would be just existing. Nothing more."
The couple are now campaigning to have batteries banned in children's toys.
After the tragedy the battery compartment on the toy showed one of the batteries was missing. Photo / Facebook
After his death, his parents found a battery was missing from the toy.
It has a screw-on battery compartment which is supposed to keep it safe, but somehow the battery fell out.
They are wanting to have the pill-sized batteries banned from toys that could cause choking and death.
"Nobody warned us about button batteries. I didn't even know what they were but they're in everything. I was more worried about bleach, falling down stairs and bumping heads," Christine said.
"They are absolutely everywhere. They're in the toys given to kids, in birthday and Christmas cards, toothbrushes, light-up shoes, thermometers, pens and ornaments," Hugh said.
"If anything lights up or makes a sound, there's a good chance it contains a button battery.
"They've ruined our life and we want to make sure nobody else goes through what we have."
