A 14-month-old boy who was placed in an induced coma after inhaling cake decorating powder is showing signs of recovery, his family has announced. The toddler, Dustin, had been fighting for his life after the incident, which occurred while his mother was preparing a birthday cake.
Mother's Heartfelt Update
Katie Robinson, a professional baker from the Gold Coast in Australia, was making a Bluey-themed birthday cake for a friend's son when her own child grabbed a container of gold decorating dust. Dustin inhaled the powder, which turned into a paste in his lungs, requiring emergency surgery at Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane.
In a recent update, Katie shared that Dustin is making progress. "Dusty has had his breathing tube taken out and now has high flow oxygen through nasal prongs," she wrote on a GoFundMe page. "His meds have decreased but he is still in a drowsy state. The doctors are happy with his progression, however still unsure about lasting effects on the lungs."
Community Support
Over 1,000 people have donated to the family's GoFundMe campaign, raising more than $50,000 in just four days. The fundraiser was organized by Rochelle Evrard, a long-time client of Katie's and the person for whom she was making the cake at the time of the accident.
"Thank you so so much for the incredible amount of love and support for Dusty and his family!" Rochelle wrote on Friday. "We have well and truly exceeded expectations from the community. Not only with monetary donations but our inboxes have been flooded with support and offers of help and accommodation."
The Accident
Dustin was being supervised in his home studio while his mother put finishing touches on the cake. He pulled down a tube of lustre dust powder and began choking. "Within seconds [he] had just pulled it off with his teeth, the cap, and just inhaled it and ingested it at the same time," Katie told an Australian news site.
His parents, Katie and Chris, administered first aid while waiting for emergency responders. "In the time it took for the ambulance to get there, he was not breathing well. He was grunting, really low grunt and then trying to take a quick, sharp breath in," Katie added. "His body was flopping around, his eyes were rolling in his head, and he was just getting unresponsive."
Surgery and Recovery
Dustin required surgery to flush out his lungs using a saline solution. Doctors later determined the dust contained copper, which can cause respiratory distress and severe lung damage. "It's just not a product that you would expect to be anywhere near anything that has to do with food," Katie said. "All the doctors have said this is such a rare case ... they haven't really seen this before. So it's been a difficult one for everyone."
The dust was labelled for use on non-edible parts of a cake. The family remains hopeful as Dustin continues to recover in hospital.
