Toddler's Tragic Death After Swallowing Button Battery Sparks Urgent Safety Warning
A mother from Stoke-on-Trent has shared the devastating story of how her two-year-old daughter died after swallowing a button battery that burned through her oesophagus and into a main artery. Harper-Lee Fanthorpe passed away on May 21, 2021, in what began as a seemingly ordinary Sunday morning.
Normal Morning Turns to Tragedy
Stacy Nicklin, 40, had tucked her daughter Harper-Lee into bed after the toddler pointed to her mouth, something she often did due to a history of septic tonsillitis from a very young age. Stacy told Harper-Lee that her throat would get better soon before heading off to work, unaware that her daughter was actually trying to communicate that she had swallowed something dangerous.
"Little did I know that she was telling me she'd swallowed something," said Stacy, reflecting on those final moments with her daughter.
Frantic Emergency Response
Just one hour after leaving for work, Stacy received a frantic phone call from her 23-year-old daughter Jamie-Leigh, who reported that Harper-Lee was spitting blood. Stacy immediately rushed home to find paramedics attending to her daughter in an ambulance.
"A friend from work rushed me home and the paramedics said they needed to wait for a doctor because they'd never seen anything like it before," Stacy recalled. "They didn't know where the bleeding was coming from."
Medical Discovery and Heartbreaking Outcome
Harper-Lee was rushed to Royal Stoke University Hospital where medical staff inserted a camera to locate the source of the bleeding. Surgeons made the shocking discovery of a button battery from an LED light remote lodged inside the toddler's body.
The battery had burned through Harper-Lee's oesophagus and into a main artery leading to her heart. Doctors determined that while she needed to be transferred to Birmingham Children's Hospital for specialised care, she would not survive the journey.
"When they said she'd swallowed a battery, I had no idea she wouldn't make it," Stacy said. "Then they said she wouldn't survive and I collapsed. I said 'Please try and do everything you can to save my baby girl'. All I can remember is him saying 'I'm so sorry'. That's all I heard before I went into shock and fell to the floor."
Family Trauma and Awareness Campaign
In the five years since Harper-Lee's death, Stacy has dedicated herself to raising awareness about the dangers of button batteries. She has experienced significant personal challenges, including losing friendships and relationships with family members who remind her of her lost daughter.
"I've been raising awareness for the last five years because I promised my baba that I wouldn't let her die in vain," Stacy explained. "I don't want any other families going through what me, Jamie-Leigh and Kyla have gone through."
The grieving mother, who also has an 18-year-old daughter named Kyla, described how the tragedy has affected her relationships: "Anyone that was close to Harper I don't see or speak to anymore because when I see them, I see her."
Stacy's story serves as a poignant reminder of the hidden dangers that common household items can pose to young children, particularly button batteries which can cause severe internal burns if swallowed.
