By Rowan Forster
By Rowan Forster
A Pakenham boy’s phenomenal recovery after ingesting 30 fridge magnets has been hailed as a miracle.
Noah, 3, was rushed to Monash Children’s Hospital after he fell to the ground, curling up in a foetal position and withering in pain.
For his parents, Fiso and Christelle Lefau, it was one of the most frightening experiences of their lives.
“My wife and I were at work at the time when we received a call from the in-laws,” Mr Lefau said.
“It was a huge panic – I had to stop what was I doing and rush to Casey Hospital.”
Upon being x-rayed and assessed, specialists discovered a cluster of magnetic beads in Noah’s stomach.
He was likely hours from death.
It became apparent that Noah had climbed on a chair in the family’s Edenbrook Estate home, pulling the magnets from the fridge and swallowing them.
In order to save his life, the three-year-old underwent six hours of emergency surgery to have the metal balls removed.
Surgeons had to remove parts of Noah’s intestine and repair 10 holes in his gut, caused by the magnets connecting inside his body.
“You know how inquisitive three-year-old’s are at that stage in their life,” he said.
“We’re just so thankful he got through it.”
According to Mr Lefau, Noah was showing signs of sickness for several days prior to his collapse.
The family took him to a 24 hour general practitioner in Berwick, where he was prescribed an anti-nausea pill.
“The doctor said to give him a tablet and put it under his tongue and the next day he was eating and running around and he seemed okay,” he said.
Several days later, he collapsed.Since the incident, Noah has made a remarkable recovery.
“He’s doing awesome – he’s in a great place,” his mother, Mrs Lefau said.
The parents have issued a stern warning to others about the dangers of small, metallic objects.
“Just take precaution when buying toys and items with little magnets and keep them out of reach of the children because it could be fatal,” Mr Lefau said.
In a cruel twist, the parents have been condemned as a result of the accident.
They were both anticipating some backlash, despite the unpredictable nature of toddlers.“We knew we were going to cop a differing of opinion and some criticism,” he said.
“I told Christelle to be prepared for it.”
The warning comes as statistics from the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit show that an average of 38 Victorian children present to hospital emergency departments every year with a magnet related injury.
General Manager of Kidsafe Victoria Jason Chambers revealed children were at particular risk of magnet-related injuries due to their natural curiosity and lack of awareness of the dangers.
“Children often explore their environments by placing things in their mouths. Small magnets can be accessed from a range of common household items including children’s toys, fridge magnets, jewellery and objects like keyrings,” Mr Chambers said.
Dr Maurizio Pacilli, consultant paediatric surgeon at Monash Children’s Hospital, outlined the hazards of swallowing a magnet as opposed to other toys.
“If a child swallows two or more magnets they will be drawn towards each other and can lock together inside the body, which can result in perforation of the bowel, blockages and infection,” he said.
“In these cases, urgent surgery is required to remove the magnets and avoid serious medical complications or death.”
