Headline of the Week Weak

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"Girl Swallows 30 Magnets, Steel Balls
Toy's Parts "Looked Like Candy" To Her; They Rip 8 Holes In Her Intestines; "Lucky To Be Alive"
"

So sad! So crazy! CLICK HERE to read the article accompanying this headline.

Girl Swallows 30 Magnets, Steel Balls
Toy's Parts "Looked Like Candy" To Her; They Rip 8 Holes In Her Intestines; "Lucky To Be Alive"

An eight-year-old Indiana girl swallowed 30 magnets and steel balls from a toy last month and, her father says, needed emergency surgery to save her from what doctors told him were eight gunshot or stab-like holes in her intestines.

Haley Lents told Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez Monday she ingested the ten magnets and 20 steel balls because they "looked like candy."

Haley's father, Jason Lents, told CBS News he "really" doesn't understand how Haley could have consumed the parts, because she "gets A's and B's, and we taught her not to do stuff like this."

Jason says doctors told him Haley is lucky to be alive. She spent two weeks in the hospital.

He says he and his wife were in the same room as Haley in their Huntingburg home when she consumed the items, and they didn't even realize it. He says they rushed Haley to the hospital two days later when she began experiencing pain so severe she could barely stand up.

The parts came from a toy called Magnetix, made by Mega Brands, which issued a statement about the incident: ""Mega Brands was saddened to learn that a child sustained injury from ingesting a large number of toy parts, some of which apparently contained magnets. While we have not been able to confirm whether the toy involved was a MEGA Brands product, it is clear this was a highly unusual and isolated situation and is not indicative of any problem with Mega Brands' magnetic construction toys currently on the market. In general, if a child swallows 30 pieces of any toy, it is likely that it will result in harm regardless of the toy in question."

Haley told Rodriguez she wants other kids to know they shouldn't eat toy parts.

Jason also wants to get the word out. He pointed out to Rodriguez that, "These are high intensity magnets. There are so many parents out there that have no idea that these toys — it just takes two magnets to kill someone. … And because they are so easy to swallow … (Mega Brands hasn't) done enough. Now, Mega … has said that, coming out in July of '08, next month, that they have a completely redesigned magnetic set that contains no magnetic parts that can be swallowed. … They obviously feel that there's an issue."

    Posted: Jun 3, 2008 at 3:19 pm / Email this  »

    298 comments to “Headline of the Week Weak”

    More comments: [1] 2 3 »

    1. hey says – reply to this


      1

      thats my cousin !!!

    2. tb says – reply to this


      2

      woah

    3. the on says – reply to this


      3

      I wan't to swallow some of perez's magnets

    4. gill says – reply to this


      4

      first!

    5. Bojan says – reply to this


      5

      Disgusting [=

    6. asdasd says – reply to this


      6

      1st fatass

    7. Shop L says – reply to this


      7

      This is an episode of Grey's Anatomy!

    8. Krissy says – reply to this


      8

      why the hell would you give your kid a toy where pieces look like candy anyway? Kids eat anything

    9. MOLLAY says – reply to this


      9

      ahhah wow wasn't something like this on House???

    10. josef says – reply to this


      10

      Re: hey – ya right

    11. MOLLAY says – reply to this


      11

      or Grey's Anatomy…

    12. Amanda says – reply to this


      12

      first!!!!!

    13. anon says – reply to this


      13

      what an idiot child
      i wouldn't have ever swallowed toy parts at 8 years old
      i wasn't retarded

    14. MONIQI says – reply to this


      14

      FIRSTTT

    15. swarm says – reply to this


      15

      I think an intelligent eight year old
      should know the diff between metal and candy
      but I think she is/was special needs



    16. 16

      She was 8 years old!! Not exactly going to be a rocket scientist now is she.

    17. SARS says – reply to this


      17

      This toy has been recalled before.

    18. first! says – reply to this


      18

      Starra!

    19. FAUX H says – reply to this


      19

      Better than SPERM, I guess.

    20. SARS says – reply to this


      20

      Found on Google: "My son just had abdominal surgery to remove two pieces of the toy building set, called Magnetix, that he swallowed. The pieces stuck together from different places in his bowel and wore holes in the bowel walls over time. His intestines shut down, causing a life-threatening bowel obstruction. He was seriously ill. He now has about a 5 inch scar up the middle of his belly. By God’s grace he survived."

    21. Jenna says – reply to this


      21

      I feel awful but I LOL'd.

    22. iryna says – reply to this


      22

      firstt

    23. Jessic says – reply to this


      23

      Awwww! That is TOO sad!

    24. Drizee says – reply to this


      24

      1ST!

    25. lauren says – reply to this


      25

      wow what a stupid child…i am going to have to go ahead and say the parents were just saying they were in the room and really weren't watching the child, or are that stupid that they didn't see her eat thirty magnets…oh man

    26. i love says – reply to this


      26

      i swear this shit was one greys anatomy

    27. reynol says – reply to this


      27

      first

    28. Sarah says – reply to this


      28

      OK but that's pretty stupid… because they "looked like candy"… Well, upon trying one out and it not TASTING like candy, why would you eat 30 of 'em?!
      Fucking lame. This kid is mental. It is SO not the toy manufacturer's fault.

    29. mimi says – reply to this


      29

      PENDEJA

    30. Jesci says – reply to this


      30

      How about if you supervise your children while they play with this toy that's so "dangerous" that "it only takes two magnets to kill someone" instead of blaming the manufacturer. You'd think that after figuring out that the first magnet was not candy and didn't taste good your idiot daughter would have stopped eating them!



    31. 31

      Awww! Poor girl lack!

    32. HMM?! says – reply to this


      32

      How could you not know at 8 yrs old that they did'nt look or taste like fucking candy? HOW?

    33. ali85 says – reply to this


      33

      did she not realize they didnt taste good?

    34. catty says – reply to this


      34

      first? or thirdd… who knows. that's sad!

    35. SARS says – reply to this


      35

      My son just had abdominal surgery to remove two pieces of the toy building set, called Magnetix, that he swallowed. The pieces stuck together from different places in his bowel and wore holes in the bowel walls over time. His intestines shut down, causing a life-threatening bowel obstruction. He was seriously ill. He now has about a 5 inch scar up the middle of his belly. By God’s grace he survived.

    36. Lucy says – reply to this


      36

      I heard she has a magnetic personality.

    37. Lucy says – reply to this


      37

      I heard she has a magnetic personality.

    38. Lucy says – reply to this


      38

      I heard she has a magnetic personality.



    39. 39

      verrry odd. how do you not notice your child is eating 30 pieces of a toy if you are in the same room? It must take a while to consume that much toy, and they didn't look at their daughter once?

    40. heathe says – reply to this


      40

      as if it's the toy manufacturers fault that the child is semi-retarded?

    41. Candic says – reply to this


      41

      That is straight out of Grey's Anatomy!!!!

    42. Jordan says – reply to this


      42

      Haley, you better have fetal alcohol syndrome to be this stupid. Kids suck.

    43. Ummm.. says – reply to this


      43

      Sad. But how is this gossip again?!

    44. katie says – reply to this


      44

      shouldnt a 8 year old know not to eat toys….

    45. Laurie says – reply to this


      45

      Ya think the child might have been a tad hungry????

    46. Megs says – reply to this


      46

      What the Hell!



    47. 47

      weirdos.

    48. elle says – reply to this


      48

      wow. thats really dumb..parent's fault for sure.

    49. katie says – reply to this


      49

      first?
      the parents had better sue the ass off mega brands..

    50. Lucy says – reply to this


      50

      I am once, twice, three times a lady!!!

    51. Vaness says – reply to this


      51

      kid swallowing stuff…dangerous

    52. Rochel says – reply to this


      52

      How sad, but, how irresponsible can the parents be? They were in the same room with the kid, how can they not notice they're kid gobbling up magnets!? Crazy.

    53. Monica says – reply to this


      53

      Thats like in that episode of Grey's Anatomy!

    54. melind says – reply to this


      54

      if any of you were more intelectual, and got your eyes of the blogs and in a paper once in a while, you'd know this has been going on since 2003. At least 12 children have DIED from these, and parents have been fighting to pull these from store shelves.

    55. Keesha says – reply to this


      55

      LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!! What a dumb kid. They better not try to sue either. It's the toys fault their child is retarded.

    56. goodgi says – reply to this


      56

      8 years old? Wow, this girl must have some disabilities. Seriously, that is not normal. I have an 8 year old and that's way beyond eating toys.

    57. jack says – reply to this


      57

      ok, i feel bad for the kid and all…but come on. you're 8 not 1. you can't tell the difference between metal and candy? sad.

    58. Herbie says – reply to this


      58

      So dumb. There are going to be no toys left on the market because some moron will find a way to injure themselves with every single one.

    59. s says – reply to this


      59

      Holy Crap that happened on Grey's Anatomy

    60. andy says – reply to this


      60

      That is straight out of an episode of grey's anatomy!

    61. Slick says – reply to this


      61

      Natural Selection at it's finest.

    62. mmm says – reply to this


      62

      After the first few magnets, didn't the child think "hmmm, this sure doesn't taste like any candy I've had before…in fact, it kind of tastes like shit" ??? Glad the child is ok, though…close call.

    63. Sweet says – reply to this


      63

      she's EIGHT??!!! Even her dad acknowledges she's an idiot.

    64. mia says – reply to this


      64

      god, what an idiot.

    65. lanie says – reply to this


      65

      im sorry but an 8 yr old knows the difference between candy and a hard toy..i know plenty of 7-8 yr old whom i have babysat and my friends nieces and what not..this child must be a special needs person.

    66. nnol says – reply to this


      66

      They didnt say whether those As and Bs were in a "special" school. She probably eats paint chips too. What a f-ing genius!!!

    67. WHAT?! says – reply to this


      67

      Honestly this is insane. My 3 year old wouldn't do that. And even if the 8 year old was insane enough to eat one she would realize right away that they weren't candy.

      Wow.

    68. rolo says – reply to this


      68

      what a fuckin retard! Didnt taste like candy did it?!Moron.



    69. 69

      what an idiot..
      i bet you she was a blond kid..

    70. wanda says – reply to this


      70

      It's a shame her dad let her on TV because its apparent that there is a problem with that girl and her situation. Those pieces are BIG, there is no way she actually thought it was candy. She was either made to do it or she did it for attention.

    71. dj says – reply to this


      71

      these things had more serious recalls than lead paint. where were her parents heads?

    72. Susan says – reply to this


      72

      Um, she was 8 years old! I have an 8 year old nephew who knows not to eat his toys!

    73. Luvli says – reply to this


      73

      This toy needs to be taken off the shelf. It has a warning sign posted below it in numerous stores… If the toys is dangerous, stores should NOT sell it.

      Both my sons have repeatedly asked for the Magnetix toy and I will never ever buy it. The toy itself resembles gum balls, no wonder the kid ate it. My kids would probably do the same.. and it's not due to lack of intelligence. Kids put things in their mouths.
      The company needs to step up and just stop selling the toy.

    74. Holley says – reply to this


      74

      Re: Jordan – HA HA HA HA HA I agree…. The parents probably force fed them to her anyway, just so they could sue somebody…

    75. Joseph says – reply to this


      75

      They dont look like candy! My brothers have some and anyone in their right mind could see they arent candy. Those people look like backwoods rednecks! My 3 year old plays with them when he goes to my parents house and he knows they arent candy!

    76. jm says – reply to this


      76

      ok seriously, i think the kids parents put her up to this. It's a fucking toy they bought her and she thought it was candy??? I don't know what kind of candy they have in indiana, but i've never seen silver candy before. AND the parents didn't realize that she was eating ball bearings when they're in the same room?? Awesome parenting. Actually, you know, judging form the intelligence of the parents I can honestly believe she thought it was candy. Nevermind. Carry on.

    77. Jen says – reply to this


      77

      that's awful, but surely an 8yr old knows the difference?!

    78. kg says – reply to this


      78

      um i dont think most parents think they need to be up in their 8 year olds' business making sure they dont swallow toy parts. 8 years old. If the child was 4-5 i would see peoples' point.

      this seems like a fluke incident for an 8 year old.

    79. edizzz says – reply to this


      79

      it is seriously getting so ridiculous that people in general are always trying to blame everyone else (ie the toy makers, the video game designers, restuaransts, etc) for their kids being angry, or violent, or over weight or eating thirty magnet pieces, when the real issue is the lack of parent supervision…. Stop pointing fingers and take some accountabilty for your child.

    80. Britt says – reply to this


      80

      at least the company is trying to fix the problem

    81. Alex P says – reply to this


      81

      That was a story line on Grey's anotomy

    82. BlahBl says – reply to this


      82

      The parents need to stop blaming the toy company because they were both in the room with this child when she was swallowing 30 magnets! Of course toys have small, dangerous parts… that's why they usually have a warning!!

    83. Ash says – reply to this


      83

      Does this child not chew her food? Does she just unhinge her jaw like a snake? How do you eat 30 toy parts without biting down on one piece and realizing it's not food?

    84. g says – reply to this


      84

      oh stupid kid. magnets have IRON, candy has SUGAR. RETURN TO SENDER

    85. sjs says – reply to this


      85

      I'm glad my parents weren't that dumb, but mostly that I have never been dumb enough to mistake magnets as candy. wouldn't it taste bad after eating just one?!

    86. Smith says – reply to this


      86

      This has to be the dumbest 8 year old ever. What a moron! The parents sound like real winners, too. Never blame yourself or your idiot kid, blame the toy company!

    87. Shenan says – reply to this


      87

      What.an.idiot. You'd think after eating one or two magnetic balls something in the brain would click and say hey wait a minute, this doesn't taste like candy… 3 year-old I can understand, but 8?? Seriously…

    88. parent says – reply to this


      88

      I have an 8yr old and there is no way on this earth that she would eat anything like that. If a child would swallow that many toy parts she is either needing attention real bad or she has neurological issues ( im am not trying to be hateful, but come on parents there is something wrong with this) my heart goes out to the little girl.

    89. N says – reply to this


      89

      i'm sorry but the girl is 8…..isn't that old enough to stop swallowing metal after the first one?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?



    90. 90

      thats so stupid

    91. M from says – reply to this


      91

      They didn't notice? I have to think, considering the "As and Bs" comment, that the child is developmentally disabled, so…
      Why did the parents have such an inappropriate toy in the house? Since this has been in the news, rather than blame the company (I have no doubt the package and instructions are full of warnings) here's an idea…
      Don't buy it!
      It's like people complaining their kids were watching horror movies and blaming the studio, you let them watch. People need to actually pay attention to their kid every now and again. Hell we all know it's a pain in the ass, but nobody forced you to have them.

    92. C says – reply to this


      92

      I'd lick balls too if they looked like candy.

    93. alicia says – reply to this


      93

      poor thing. thank God shes alive

    94. kimbo says – reply to this


      94

      Kimbo Slice vs James Thompson Fight

      www.mmanewz.com

      Kimbo Slice vs James Thompson Fight

      www.mmanewz.com

      Kimbo Slice vs James Thompson Fight

      www.mmanewz.com



    95. 95

      wow!

    96. Mom says – reply to this


      96

      Total bullshit. My 10 year oldson has these toys. They are shiny silver metal balls that are clearly not candy. He has had them since he was 6. He has never eaten them. I think you would know once you stuck one in your mouth and it hurt the crap out of your teeth, cause you cant bite into it. Something seems fishy here to me.

    97. QKB says – reply to this


      97

      Do NOT even think of blaming the toy company for this - blame the (sorry) STUPID ASS KID and her brain-dead parents! Other than a child with special needs, what EIGHT year old child thinks it's okay to eat ANY toy? Come on now. And 30! I can ALMOST see "accidentally" thinking one or two were candy BUT 30! That's insane.

    98. Heathe says – reply to this


      98

      This girl is an idiot. 3rd grade and she doesn't know not to eat fucking toys? This is not "sad", it's stupid.

    99. Stepha says – reply to this


      99

      Um an 8 year sure as hell should know the damn difference between candy and toys. And if she knew they were toys and still ate them then something is wrong with her mentally. Dumb kid.



    100. 100

      yeah, i've seen a lot of candy that looks like shiny silver balls… i don't mean to sound like i'm making fun, but come on — an 8 year old putting toys in her mouth?! the parents deserve to be smacked for allowing this to happen, she's obviously got something wrong with her and she can't handle playing with toys with small parts still..

    More comments: [1] 2 3 »