Racine infant dies after choking on popped balloon at Halloween event
Infant dies in tragic accident, fundraiser held for family in Racine
What was supposed to be a fun day at a Halloween event turned tragic for a Racine family after an infant choked on a piece of a balloon and died. FOX6's Abril Preciado caught up with the mother of the baby boy at a fundraiser this evening, she joins us with a message for parents.
RACINE, Wis. - Heartbroken, Kisha Avitia-Wilson remembers her 11-month-old son, Don'vyaire.
"All I remember, my baby turned blue in one second and went into cardiac arrest," said Avitia-Wilson.
Fatal accident
The backstory:
Avitia-Wilson said her son died after swallowing and choking on a piece of a balloon that popped after leaving a trunk-or-treat event in Racine in late October.
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Don'vyaire
"I did everything that I could, which was CPR, the sticking of my finger down his throat, patting his back," said Avitia-Wilson.
She said medical professionals told her the piece of balloon shot down the bottom of his esophagus and took his life.
"I wish I could turn back time," said Avitia-Wilson.
Avitia-Wilson said she was 31 weeks pregnant at the time, and the stress pushed her to go into labor early.
"I gave birth to my baby, and the funeral is over. I have been everywhere now because I feel like my emotions are actually kicking in now," said Avitia-Wilson.
Culver's fundraiser
Local perspective:
Leaning onto family and the community at a Culver's fundraiser on Douglas in Racine, she wants parents to know the dangers of balloons.
"I don’t want any other parents to go through this ever again," said Avitia-Wilson.
All while hoping she and her family can get back on their feet through a painful loss.
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"This can happen to anybody’s babies, and a lot of people aren’t really used to this story because I’ve never even heard of a baby swallowing a balloon and passing away," said Avitia-Wilson.
The family is still in need of help and has set up a GoFundMe page.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Abril Preciado and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Kisha Avitia-Wilson and medical professionals.