A 13-month-old baby in UK's Birmingham suffered a heart attack, internal burns, and lost half his tongue after accidentally drinking drain cleaner, mistaking it for milk. The incident occurred when the toddler slipped behind his mother, who was cleaning the bathroom, and drank caustic soda from a white bottle left on the floor. According to , Sam Anwar was just 13 months old when the incident happened in May this year.
His mother, Mukhtara, 27, was cleaning the bathroom when Sam unnoticed followed her and picked up a bottle of drain cleaner she had left on the floor. The chemical instantly burned his lips, mouth, tongue, and airway, causing severe internal injuries.
"Heart stopped for 3 minutes"
Baby Sam was rushed to Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital, where he suffered a heart attack in the emergency department. His father, warehouse worker Nadeen Alshameri, recounted that Sam's heart stopped for nearly three minutes. Medical staff revived him and moved him to intensive care.
"He thought the bottle was milk. By the time we knew what had happened, it was already burning him. When we went to the hospital it was burning his airway and his mouth, he can't say a word now. They told me they had never seen it before. They had to find the best doctor because it was the first time this had happened," Alshameri, 37 explained.
"One-in-a-million outcome"
Sam spent two months in intensive care at Birmingham Children's Hospital after the corrosive substance caused him to lose half of his tongue. Unable to eat, he was initially fed through a nasal tube.
Doctors had to remove the feeding tube from Sam's nose and insert a permanent one directly into his stomach. His mouth has started to close, leaving only a small gap that is too narrow for him to swallow food or liquids. Medical professionals are currently unable to properly examine the inside of his mouth due to the limited opening.
Doctors said it was one of the most severe cases they had encountered in a child so young, calling his survival a one-in-a-million outcome.
A long recovery ahead
Sam, now 18 months old, has returned home but relies on a stomach feeding tube. His father says he will need a complex surgery to repair the internal burns and "unlock" his mouth. He is currently on a waiting list for urgent reconstructive surgery, though a date hasn't been confirmed.
Nadeen Alshameri has now started a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for taking his son to medical specialists in Germany and Turkey.
"With rent, food, everything my wife and I we are just surviving. I can't save enough for surgery abroad. I need help. I'm so worried about my kid. This is my baby. I just want him to be okay," he said.
