A mum has said her seven-year-old daughter died while playing with a birthday balloon.
Channa Kelly, from Tennessee, said her daughter, Alexandra Kelly, died on 1 October after getting her head stuck inside a Mylar balloon from her birthday celebration.
The heartbroken mother said that she and Alexandra had been popping balloons for her daughter's birthday on 24 September.
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Kelly said she knew about the choking dangers from latex balloons, but was unaware of any issues with Mylar balloons filled with helium.
She wrote in a Facebook post: "For her birthday party, on September 24, I bought a large 34 inch rainbow Mylar number seven balloon inflated with helium, as seen below, along with approximately 10 Roblox themed latex balloons.
"As a parent I was always aware of the choking hazard of latex balloons, but never imagined that there was such a risk regarding these very large Mylar helium filled balloons.
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"I went to my bedroom unaware of any dangers with this type of balloon. I fell asleep briefly and when I woke up I found my daughter face down on the living room floor where I had left her."
Tragically, she thought her daughter was asleep, but then noticed the balloon 'was around her head'.
"I would have never imagined that she would have been able to fit this balloon over her head," Channa said.
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The mom called 911, attempted CPR, with a police officer, firefighters and paramedics later arriving and taking over.
"They worked tirelessly to try to bring her back but their attempts to revive her were unsuccessful."
Channa's post concludes: "I cried hysterically and was in utter shock and disbelief of what had just occurred, that my daughter and only child was actually gone.
"On Sunday October 1st my entire world collapsed around me all because I was unaware of the the risk surrounding these types of balloons," she said.
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"It is unknown whether she passed away from helium poisoning or suffocation. We are currently awaiting the preliminary results for the final determination of her cause of death. I was told that this could take up to four to six months.
"I hope by sharing our story that I can bring awareness and educate parents about the dangers of not only latex balloons but also Mylar balloons. I hope and pray that this will prevent and save the life of other children.
"I wouldn’t want anyone else to experience the pain and devastation that the loss of a child brings."
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Alexandra - who was also known as Alex for short - was born on 27 September 2016 and made all of Channa's 'dreams come true' - a young girl 'full of curiosity' who 'loved arts and crafts of all kinds' and who 'put a smile on everyone's face and brought so much joy and laughter' into her mom's life.
Channa's sister, Kristi Tucker, organised a GoFundMe to raise funds for Alex's funeral - which took place on 7 October - as well as funds for Channa.
Topics: News
Gregory Robinson