12-year-old undergoes surgery after swallowing 54 magnets for ‘experiment’
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A 12-year-old boy underwent a life-saving operation after swallowing 54 toy magnets to see if this would render him magnetic.
Rhiley Morrison, of Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom, swallowed the magnetic balls on two separate occasions for his “experiment,” as per The Daily Mail on Feb. 8.
Aside from testing to see if metals would stick to his stomach, it was noted that Morrison also wanted to see what the magnets would look like once he defecated.
After four days passed without him releasing the magnetic balls, Morrison told his mother, Paige Ward, that he “accidentally” swallowed only two balls, the report said.
His mother and doctors were then baffled to find out that he actually had 54 magnets in his stomach and bowels after he underwent an x-ray.
Article continues after this advertisementSurgery was then performed on the boy as doctors feared that the magnets might burn through his tissue and vital organs, which could reportedly have been fatal.
Article continues after this advertisementAfter a six-hour operation, doctors were able to remove all 54 magnets from Morrisson’s body and save his life.
“‘I was gobsmacked, just speechless when I heard the number he’d swallowed. The doctors guessed around 25-30 from the x-ray, but when he came out of surgery they said they got 54,” Ward was quoted as saying.
“I think what made it harder is that I just didn’t understand how or why he would swallow that many,” the mother continued.
Ward also disclosed that her son, who has ADHD and autism, loves science and actually asked for the magnetic balls last Christmas, according to the report. He even bought additional magnets from a shop before doing his experiment.
“He is autistic but he’s quite high functioning. He knows what he’s doing, he knows right from wrong,” Ward was quoted as saying.
“He’s just made a mistake and unfortunately it was one that could have cost him a lot,” she added.
Prior to getting surgery, Morrison spent 10 days unable to move without vomiting green liquid, which was caused by his bowels leaking due to the magnets, the report said.
After having gone through the ordeal, Ward warned other parents not to buy their children magnets and stressed that these “shouldn’t be sold as toys.” Ian Biong /ra
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