A young girl from Indiana required emergency hospitalisation after accidentally injecting herself with her mother's GLP-1 weight loss medication, sparking serious concerns about the storage and safety of such drugs in households with children.
A Terrifying Discovery
In December 2024, Melissa Milender made a horrifying discovery when she found her seven-year-old daughter Jessa lying lifeless on the floor. The child had managed to administer approximately sixty percent of a GLP-1 injector pen, medication her mother used for weight management. Jessa later explained to WHAS-11 that she believed the injection was "stomach medicine" intended to alleviate aches, having observed her mother using it.
Immediate Medical Crisis
Upon finding her daughter, Melissa immediately contacted poison control. Medical records obtained by outlets revealed Jessa began suffering severe gastrointestinal distress, vomiting almost hourly alongside diarrhoea, constipation, and intense abdominal pain. She was rushed to the emergency room presenting with critically concerning symptoms: sunken eyes and ashy, pallid skin, where she was promptly connected to an intravenous drip.
"The ER staff didn't know what to do," Melissa recounted to CBS 8, describing a frightening lack of specific protocol. "They just called Poison Control, and Poison Control told them the same thing they told me. They didn't know how to respond."
A Harrowing Relapse and Escalation
Although Jessa's symptoms initially subsided, leading to her discharge, the relief was tragically short-lived. Upon returning home, the violent vomiting recommenced with alarming intensity. "I don’t think we were prepared for how bad it was gonna get," Melissa admitted to WHAS-11, expressing profound regret. "I should have never let them discharge her."
The situation deteriorated rapidly. Jessa became so debilitated that her mother had to carry her to the bathroom. "She was thirsty. That's the only thing that she wanted to do was drink water, but then she would throw it up," Melissa explained, painting a picture of a desperate cycle of dehydration.
Renewed Hospitalisation and Kidney Concerns
The family returned to the hospital where Jessa's condition took a more sinister turn; she stopped urinating altogether, prompting doctors to voice serious concerns about potential kidney damage. Melissa described the ordeal as "the worst week of our lives," noting her daughter did not eat for six consecutive days.
"She's my little girl," Melissa said emotionally. "So that was rough." She told CBS 8 the experience was utterly traumatic, stating she felt Jessa was dying. "That's how she looked. She had lost significant weight... her cheeks were sunken in, her eyes were sunken in."
Jessa's suffering was profound. "She couldn't walk from exhaustion and severe pain. She wouldn't even allow them to touch her stomach. She'd scream out in pain in her sleep. It was awful," Melissa recalled, adding it was "a miracle" no long-term effects were sustained.
A Crucial Safety Wake-Up Call
This alarming incident has served as a critical warning for the Milender family and others. Melissa now stores her medication securely in a locked box within the refrigerator, a precaution she wishes she had implemented sooner. She emphasised the irreversible nature of such an overdose, noting, "Once you've injected too much, there's no 'Whoops, let me take this to counteract it.' Like no, now you're dealing with whatever the consequences are of that."
Sharing the Story to Protect Others
Driven by the traumatic experience, Melissa is sharing her family's story in the hope of preventing similar tragedies. She reflected on the feeling of helplessness during the crisis, telling CBS 8, "I felt like no one had the answer on how to help her. I should have told her, 'Don't ever touch this.' It was just such an unprecedented event that I didn't think to plan for, prepare for."
Her message is clear: proactive safety measures are essential. By highlighting the severe, rapid-onset symptoms Jessa endured—including the risk of organ damage—Melissa aims to spur other parents and caregivers to reassess how they store potentially dangerous medications, ensuring they are completely inaccessible to curious children.
