7-year-old girl dies after suffocating on birthday balloon, mother says

CLINTON, Tenn. — A 7-year-old Tennessee girl died after suffocating on a balloon she got for her birthday, according to her mother.

Alexandra Hope Kelly, celebrated her 7th birthday on September 27, her mother Channa Kelly said. Kelly said she bought a 34-inch Mylar #7 balloon inflated with helium for her daughter’s party, along with several latex balloons.

“As a parent I was always aware of the choking hazard of latex balloons, but never imagined that there was such a risk regarding these very large Mylar helium filled balloons,” Kelly said in a Facebook post.

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A week after her birthday, Alexandra popped all of her latex balloons, along with her #7 balloon. Kelly said she went to lie down in her room while her daughter played, and when she walked back in the living room she found her face down on the floor and unresponsive with the Mylar balloon over her head.

“On Sunday October 1rst my entire world collapsed around me all because I was unaware of the risk surrounding these types of balloons,” Kelly said.

Kelly said she is sharing the story in the hopes of educating parents about the dangers of not only latex balloons but also Mylar balloons.

“I hope and pray that this will prevent and save the life of other children. I wouldn’t want anyone else to experience the pain and devastation that the loss of a child brings,” she said.

Family friends have set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses.

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