A baby boy suffered a heart attack and lost half of his tongue after accidentally consuming a lethal drain unblocker, mistaking it for milk.
Sam Anwar, from Highgate, was just 13 months old when he snuck behind his mum, who was cleaning the bathroom in their flat, and drank caustic soda from a white bottle. The young lad sustained severe burns to his mouth, tongue, lips and airways during the summer incident. After suffering a heart attack, he was unconscious for three minutes.
He spent two months in intensive care at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, having lost half of his tongue due to the toxic substance. Unable to eat, he initially had to be fed through his nose.
(Image: GoFundMe)
Doctors expressed shock at the severity of the case in such a young child, stating it was “a-million-to-one he survived”. Now aged 18 months, Sam is back home but is being fed through his stomach.
His father, Nadeem Alshameri, revealed that his son will need a complex operation to “unlock” his mouth and repair the internal burn damage. The father-of-four has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover any medical bills, reports Birmingham Live.
He shared that doctors continue to disagree about the best treatment for his son, leaving the family to consider specialist medical options abroad. Warehouse worker Nadeem, 37, told BirminghamLive: “The Mrs was cleaning in the bathroom and he had been playing with his siblings and toys in the living room.
“Within a few seconds he had popped in the bathroom as we live in a flat. He came behind her and she didn’t realise he was behind her and saw the caustic soda on the floor, which is to unblock the drains/sink.
“He grabbed it and thought it was a bottle of milk and started drinking it. The taps were on (didn’t hear him come in) and she didn’t have time to get to him.
“The GP said it was one in a million he survived. It’s killer stuff. He passed out for three minutes and had a heart attack. It’s a miracle he survived and came back to life.”
Sam underwent surgery, though additional operations will be necessary.
Nadeem explained: “I’ve been told they will try and do an operation for him,” before adding that medical professionals remain divided, with “Some doctors said they will do the surgery but others say it’s too early to do. They don’t know what to do with him.
“We could try and take him away to be treated abroad. But we don’t have enough money to do that.
“We worry about him putting things into his mouth because he can’t swallow and will start choking. I’m worried about him every day.”
The GoFundMe campaign seeks to raise £9,000. Those wishing to contribute to the fund can click here.