A grieving mother has issued a heartbreaking warning following the tragic death of her eight-year-old son on his birthday.
What was meant to be a joyful day turned into a nightmare for a family in Birkenhead, U.K., when young Joshua Dunbar was found unresponsive during his birthday party on April 27, 2024.
According to the Liverpool Echo, emergency services were called around 2 p.m., and Joshua was rushed to Arrowe Park Hospital. Despite efforts to save him, he sadly passed away at 7:23 p.m. that evening.
His mom, Carly, said her son was ‘deeply loved and missed,’ and will forever be in their hearts.
Carly described her son as: “One of a kind with the brightest blue eyes and the cheekiest smile; he loved to give all his friends hugs.
“I would never want another parent, family, to suffer the loss of their child in the most tragic way we have.”
Helium balloons are often used for a range of celebratory events, adding decoration and festive atmosphere.
But now, for Dunbar’s mom, they are a stark reminder of the day her ‘worst nightmare’ came true.
This is what the inquiry into Dunbar’s found to be true. When the young boy was discovered unresponsive, he had a number eight balloon covering his face.
Carly is now warning other parents to stay away from helium balloons after a post-mortem found Dunbar’s cause of death was to be ‘consistent with asphyxia involving a helium balloon.’
Coroner Andre Rebello told the inquest: “Helium is not poisonous. What has happened is that helium has displaced the available air to breathe, and that is what has caused Joshua’s death.
“The breathing of helium prevented oxygen from getting into his body, and without oxygen, within minutes, life is not achievable. This was a most tragic day, because it started as a celebration.”
Rebello added that there was ‘no evidence whatsoever’ that Joshua would have known the fatal effects, adding ‘anyone with a heart’ would speculate he had been unaware there was no air inside.
The corner also stated: “He was a little boy in his room playing, and tragically it had fatal consequences.”
Since his death, Carly has shared just the devastating impact it’s had on herself: “The day that our son was taken from us, a big part of me went with it.
“My heart was just absolutely broken into pieces, never ever to be mended. Now I’m like a totally different person. I don’t know myself anymore.”
Carly continued: “Hand on my heart, I would never want another child to lose their life, another family to feel what we feel every single day. It’s just torture, and it doesn’t get easier, it really doesn’t.
“If one, two, three people stop and think and take on board what I’m saying and don’t buy a helium balloon, that’s one child death being prevented. “That’s what it’s all about, preventing it from happening to another child, and the only way to do that is to stop buying helium balloons. Just buy the air ones – they look just as nice.”
