Mum's warning after Hull two-year-old swallows magnetic balls from 'fidget' toy

The mother of a toddler who had to have part of her bowel removed after swallowing magnetic balls from a "fidget" toy has warned other parents to be aware of the dangers.

Jade Lee Berriman said she feared her daughter Meliyah-Jayd could die after she became seriously ill and began to vomit a dark green substance.

The two-year-old, from Hull, suffered 10 days of painful symptoms after complaining of stomach ache on 3 September.

She was initially diagnosed with an inflamed bowel and throat after a visit to a walk-in centre and was later thought to have tonsillitis and was prescribed penicillin.

But after her symptoms worsened she was admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary.

Jade said she remembers telling doctors: "She's dying, I can feel her leaving me, there's something you're overlooking."

An ultrasound scan revealed a blockage and Meliyah-Jayd was sent for an X-ray.

Jade said: "Within seconds of being scanned, they found the problem and I immediately knew it was these magnetic beads."

Meliyah-Jayd was taken to theatre for a four-hour operation. After it was discovered the balls had burned holes through her bowel, she had a large part of it removed.

"The surgeon didn't know how she was still alive," Jade said.

"Similar cases have had children in a critical condition within two days and they think the balls were in there for around 12 days. I couldn't believe my little superhero had fought for all that time – someone must have been watching over her."

After five days on a high-dependency unit, Meliyah-Jayd was discharged.

Jade added: "I am pleading to parents not to buy anything like this, even for much older children, because it is too easy for them to ingest it. I will be watching her like an absolute hawk from now on, even taking her to the toilet with me. We can adjust to her new needs and diet, but I could never adjust to not having my baby girl."

The family praised the treatment Meliyah-Jayd eventually received but said they have raised concerns about the delay in having her correctly diagnosed.

A spokesperson for Hull University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust said: "We are very sorry to hear that the care Meliyah-Jayd received did not meet the expectations of her family.

"We currently have no record of the family contacting us via our PALS or complaints teams, but we would encourage them to do so in order that we can investigate appropriately. We are glad to hear that Meliyah-Jayd is recovering now and that she and her mother were happy with the care they received after she was admitted to hospital."

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