Tragic Mistake Leaves Birmingham Baby Fighting for Life
A thirteen-month-old baby from Birmingham suffered a catastrophic heart attack and lost half his tongue after mistakenly drinking powerful household drain cleaner, believing it was milk. The incident occurred in May while his mother was cleaning the family flat.
Sam Anwar Alshameri managed to get hold of the poisonous substance after wandering into the bathroom unnoticed. His father, 37-year-old Nadeen Alshameri, explained that his wife Mukhtara, 27, was cleaning the bathroom while their four children, aged seven, three, one, and eight months, were in the living room.
Unbeknownst to her, Sam followed her in and picked up the bottle she had placed on the floor while unblocking the sink and bath. "She didn't see him behind her," Mr Alshameri said. "He thought the bottle was milk. By the time we knew what had happened, it was already burning him."
A Desperate Fight for Survival
After ingesting the corrosive liquid, Sam immediately suffered life-threatening internal burns. He was rushed to Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital, where his condition rapidly deteriorated. While in A&E, the toddler suffered a heart attack.
His heart stopped for nearly three minutes before a team of 27 doctors and nurses successfully resuscitated him. "I can't ever forget that moment," his devastated father added.
The drain cleaner caused extreme burns to Sam's airway, lips, mouth, and tongue. He spent two months in intensive care and has been left unable to eat, drink, or speak. Tragically, his lips have almost entirely sealed shut due to the severe burning.
An Uncertain Future and Plea for Help
Doctors were forced to remove Sam's nasal feeding tube and insert a permanent tube directly into his stomach. His mouth has now sealed to a tiny gap, too small to swallow any food or drink.
Mr Alshameri says his son is on an NHS waiting list for urgent reconstructive surgery, but no date has been confirmed. "NHS told me we are in good hands, but nothing is happening," he stated. "They said it could be next week, next month and I just don't know. I can't wait anymore. My boy is sick."
He claims there is conflicting medical advice, with some doctors saying surgery may be possible while others believe it is too early. Some medics have admitted they have never treated a case like Sam's before.
The family is now hoping to take Sam to specialists in Germany and Turkey for complex surgery. Mr Alshameri, a warehouse worker, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the potential operation and medication, stating that with rent and food costs, they are "just surviving" and cannot save enough for surgery abroad. "I'm so worried about my kid. This is my baby. I just want him to be okay," he pleaded.
