10 Month Old In Critical Condition After Swallowing Gumnut

IMPORTANT: This article title and content has been edited and some information has been retracted. Please read "Retraction in Gumnut Incident Article Published on Nov 12 2018 " for information on the corrections.

NOTE: The is the story of the incident as portrayed by the parent.

A 10-month-old baby boy, from Sydney, allegedly spent 2 weeks in critical condition from swallowing a gumnut. This article is retelling the story of the parent's side of the incident.

The parent said the following incident happened when their child had been sick with various symptoms and admitted to hospital "The gumnut had remained, undetected for 10 days as doctors were trying to figure out the cause of the sudden onset of failure to one of the lungs, increased heart rate of 210 beats per minute and a high temperature of 39.5 degrees. Through all this, he also suffered pneumonia and a lung infection. The doctors suggested an X-ray, which didn't detect the gumnut as X-rays only show metal objects within the body and a CT scan was too dangerous for a baby to undergo. Put on various antibiotics, however, showed no signs of improvement, his condition kept getting worse. After 10 days the doctors were unable to determine the underlying issue and they resorted to an endoscopy. After a gruelling 1 hour surgery the doctors found and were able to remove the gumnut stuck to the child's lungs surrounded by infection."

The Parents were shocked once doctors had revealed that the gumnut was the cause of the baby boy's deteriorating condition and were determined to find where their little boy could have swallowed the gumnut from.

Since the family lived in an apartment block, they claim there are no surrounding trees where the baby boy could have swallowed a gumnut from. However, upon further investigation by the parents, they had claimed that the childcare service where their baby boy attends has a gumnut tree and allege that the outdoor play area is littered with tiny gumnuts.

Upon discovering this, the Parents said they tried to discuss this with the Director of the Service however they say they did not receive a proper response regarding what happened to their son. Communications allegedly failed between the Director and the family are still looking for answers on this incident of their child.

Investigations are currently ongoing. The centre does not wish to comment.

The image above shows the gumnut that was removed from the 10-month-old baby boy's lung. 



The image above shows the gumnuts littered all over the outdoor environment allegedly. 

The image above shows the gumnuts within the playground at the baby boy's childcare service allegedly. 

In the morning during outdoor setup and throughout the day, Educators should scan the outdoor environment and remove any items/objects that can be unsafe for a child. For babies and toddlers that tend to put a variety of objects in their mouth for exploration, any small objects should be removed (including gumnuts - which can be swept or the younger children can be removed to another safer area within the outdoor area). It's important as Educators that you think 2 steps ahead and about the dangers that natural materials could cause a child and remove it where possible) or an unfortunate incident may occur. Thankfully this little boy pulled through with the strength of prayers and the doctors' determination they were able to find the gumnut in time. Please don't let another child suffer. Be alert, think ahead, keep children safe!

Reference:
Permission received from Fahd Rasul to re-tell their story.