A toddler who choked on a single kernel of popcorn has tragically lost her desperate, six month fight for life.
Two-year-old Mirranda Grace Lawson had been on life support since the May 11 incident, but her family this week revealed that the little girl died in hospital on November 1, reports local station NBC12.
According to a GoFundMe page launched by a relative shortly after Mirranda was rushed to hospital, the toddler’s parents were in the living room of the family home when she ran to them, silent, her eyes bulging.
“Time stopped. Those were the last moments they shared before Mirranda fell to the ground; they swept her mouth, nothing; Pat [her father] started CPR. The ambulance got there, Mirranda’s heart stopped,” the page reads.
It was her mother’s birthday.
“This all was caused by a piece of popcorn,” the post warns. “Please share the danger of popcorn, someone may not know.”
Two months after Mirranda’s admission, unable to breathe on her own, doctors determined her brain had sustained too much damage to recover, reports NBC12.
But her distraught parents refused to accept it was time for life to be wrenched from their beloved little girl. They took the hospital to court, seeking an emergency injunction against the removal of life support.
After several weeks, the judge ruled in favour of the hospital, prompting an appeal by the Lawsons.
Sadly, the toddler passed away before the verdict could be delivered.
The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne identifies popcorn as a choking hazard to small children, along with nuts, raw carrots and other hard vegetables, pieces of apple, corn chips, lollies and grapes.
“Remember that young children under the age of three years may not be able to chew properly because they do not yet have their full set of teeth, so anything that is small and firm is a potential hazard.”
Top Comments
Marshmallows are another no no for littlies....
We recently experienced a terrifying choking incident with popcorn when my Daughter "inhaled" a piece straight into her lung causing collapse and breathing difficulties. At the time I thought she was choking as she was having a violent coughing fit for 10 minutes. Ambulance arrived but very casually said that she was fine and there was no point going into hospital. Hours later her breathing was funny, she was making a wheezing sound so we took her in to hospital which is when they discovered she had actually "breathed" it into her lung. Thank god they were able to remove it under sedation but was just an awful experience. Apparently popcorn is one of the worst choking foods and due to its lightness as it can be easily inhaled.
Horrifying SS.