Headline of the Week Weak
Filed under: Headline of the Week
"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.
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."
As a parent stories like this really hit home and you find yourself checking every toy every night for loose parts. When I first saw this headline I assumed that it would involve a 3 or 4 year old. The fact that an 8 year old girl with presumable common sense would swallow so many parts tells me only that she has psychological problems. An 8 year old in good mental and emotional health would never mistake hard, unchewable magnetic toys for food/candy. With the parents in the same room when the incident occured and the fact that no one noticed until the girl was in unbearable pain days later tells me that this was a cry for attention by the girl. It is an extremely sad story, but please do not blame the toys for incidences like these. Children and parents must be held accountable. This nation has been built on protecting the stupid and it must stop.
PEOPLE IT WAS A CHILD HERE, NOT A TEENAGER OR AN ADULT. A FREAKIN CHILD THAT YOU PEOPLE ARE CALLING STUPID, DUMD. I HOPE EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU WHO SAID SOMETHING BAD ABOUT THIS CHILD HAVE RETARD BABIES
straight from an episode of greys anatomy.. seriously though this kid is 8 years old and doesnt know the difference between iron and candy.. im sorry the kid is either really stupid or mentally disabled i.e retarded
YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU STICK A FORK IN YOUR EYE IT WILL ALSO HURT, IF YOU WANT TO BAN THOSE THAT AUGHT TO BE INTERRESTING, MOST 8 YEAR OLDS KNOW BETTER THAN TO PULL A STUNT LIKE THAT, SHE WAS OBVIOUSLY EXPRESSING HER NEED FOR MEDICATION AND INTERVENTIONS LIKE A REALLY GOOD PSYC DOCTOR!!! BUT SERIOUSLY THERE ARE WAYS TO HURT OR HARM YOURSELF WITH ALMOST EVERY THING MADE OR AVAILABLE TO US ON THE MARKET. THERE IS NO WAY TO PREVENT STUPIDITY. I FEEL BAD FOR THE PARENTS HERE THEY OBVIOUSLY DIDNT PLAN FOR THEIR DAUGHTER TO GO THROUGH HELL FROM A TOY, BUT SERIOUSLY, THIS IS NOT TYPICAL 8 YEAR OLD BEHAVIOR.
The article says that the parents were in the same room as the child when she ingested the peices. What the hell?
If you go to Drudge and see this video, you will see that that pathetic 8 year old is clearly lying when she said she thought it was candy.
The father probably prompted the kid to say that so he can collect the cash from that toy company.
First of all…who buys these kind of toys for retarded kids anyway?!
A's an B's my ass…she is clearly 'special'!! She needs her own padded cell!
I think the father…the mother who is probably embarrassed as hell that she has an idiot daugher and the daugher herself should all be sterilized too keep more of these morons from roaming the planet!!!
This little girl was adopted when she was five years old. The conditions she was in were not ideal and, honestly, maybe she does have some developmental issues. The parents arent looking to do anything other than keep other kids safe. Why all the hate toward the family?
My guess is that the child is not being truthful about her reason for doing this. I am sure she did not think the toy was candy. She was curious about what would happen if she swallowed the pieces. Would they come out in her poo? How cool is that to an 8 year old? She's probably embarrassed or unable to explain her curiosity. A child that age knows toys are not food, but she may not understand that it is dangerous to swallow items like this. An 8 year old may not have the same concept of mortality as an adult.
shouldn't she be old enough to know not to swallow magnets?
YIKES!! NOT TOO BRIGHT KID.
folks… it's called natural selection
were her parents high? they were in the same room and didn't notice her eating all of that stuff? I don't buy it!
I saw this on my evening news and couldn't believe a 8 year old would be so stupid to do this. Maybe a 4 or 5 year old, but 8????
omg ! just like a episode of grey's anatomy
Of course blame the company that made the toy instead of taking responsibility for not properly monitoring your child or maybe raising such a stupid one. At eight years old you'd think she'd know the difference between toys and food. Kids are just getting dumber and dumber.
I suspect the parents were probably a little down on their luck and fed their dumb kid the magnets so they could cash in with a lawsuit.
BTW we have had these magnet toys in our home since my kids were 5 and no one has eaten any. When SMALL CHILDREN or KIDS WHO ARE TOO SLOW TO KNOW BETTER come to visit we put them away in a safe place. duh.
gee, sounds like the parents are trying to earn some cash at their child's expense! Via america
first ofall….where the HELL were the parents when she was eating the f*ing magnets…..second…if that is your cousin, i wouldn't BRAG!!!!
You know, now that I think of it I even played barbies when I was 5 and 6 and never ate a plastic shoe or any of the pretend food.
Are American kids' IQs going down on average?
I feel sorry for the little girl, but my 8 year old is not stupid enough to think that magnetix look like candy….dumb.fucking.kid.
i get it, it looked like candy… BUT after 1 piece didn't she notice it didn't TASTE like candy?
There was a recall issued a few months ago for a large number of Magnetix toys due to this very problem. Toy manufacturers need to get their head out of their bank statements and research their products fully AND parents need to remove their heads from their respective asses and be aware of recalls and safety concerns with respect to children's products. The very DAY the recall was issued — our Magnetix toys hit the garbage. Pay attention folks - it's your kids you're fucking with.
i guess its safe to say that most of the idiots that said the kid is mental, dont have kids. that toy has been recalled. have a fucking heart idiots. the kis could die. what if it was ur relative.
…..maybe the little one has an eating disorder (pica)-and something very rude to be poking at.
OK, things like this happen. I get that. What I don't get is that after you swallow, oh, maybe one or two of the things, you wouldn't know they aren't candy? You can't chew them and I imagine they taste like metal. Something doesn't add up. I wouldn't be surprised if she has some sort of metal addiction or other mental illness that needs treatment.
What the? This seems a bit odd to me. An 8 year old? Wow….
this is just like an episode of grey's anatomy!
What the holy F@#&!
My daughter has been playing with her older brother's old set for the past few months. She got more of these for her 8th birthday last week. My parents asked, half joking, aren't those the magnets that kids swallow? I said yeah, but Grace is smart enough not to eat magnets, and laughed. I cannot believe an 8 year old would eat something that came out of a toy box and not the pantry!?!? Come on!
You know, if people watched Grey's Anatomy, they'd know better than to do that.
Wow that's gotta hurt like hell!!! @_@ Oh and I know everyone's already said it, but isn't she a bit too old to swallow toys? And it's not an insult… just an observation
still swallowing toys at the age of 8? that's not normal. the toy company should not be blamed!
an eight year old should know better
I bought tose for my brother two years ago, and they were recalled for this reason. Its not thier fault that th girl was stupid. At 8 years old she should know the difference between a toy and candy. Especially after the first one. Wasnt very tasty was it!?
Of course her parents were in the same room as her, they live in a single-wide.
She probably also was catching a major contact high from the bong her dum a$$ parents were tokin' on…. and she got the munchies.
sad. kids, don't do drugs!
and Lincoln Logs LOOK AND TASTE like Tootsie Rolls!
mmmm
I'm almost positive that the Magnetix toys were recalled last year. If not that brand, ones that were painfully similar—for this very reason.
dumb kid! yea she's going to harvard!!
Grey's Anatomy much?
Poor her but she will be magneto
The Darwin Awards almost had a new winner!!!
This story is fishy.
im sorry..but 8yrs old is she fucking stupid…for gods sake..a 2 yrold is smarter than that…wtf…. candy my ass….i mean just fucking stupid…
The kid's 8. If she is swallowing toys at that age she deserves to die. What a fucking retard
Sorry, but something is NOT right here. I think the parents are liars and forced this child to eat the magnets hoping for a huge payoff. They were in the same room - but didn't see anything? I certainly would have noticed. The 8 year old should be old enough to tell the real story unless he/she is mentally impaired.
Seriously Grey's Anatomy!!
i agree with alot of people on here: why the frick would you eat 30 magnets if they didn't even taste good. it's not like she could chew them! she must have been special needs. theres no way her parents witnessed this and its definatley not magnetix fault
What a stupid kid. Maybe they looked like candy, but after eating the first few she must have realized that they didn't TASTE like it, yet she kept on eating them? The company shouldn't be blamed for this childs stupidity, lots of toys have magnets in them, even the plastic letters that stick to the refrigerator door. A 3 year old knows better than to eat those! Her parents don't seem much brighter, if they were in the same room with her, what were they doing when she was gobbling down 30 of them?
yeah. i never would have done this at 8. or freaking 4. what a dumb kid. she knew they weren't candy, some kid probably offered her 5 bucks to do it.
seriously?? EIGHT? and she gets A's and B's in school? either she's doing very well in special ed class or it just shows how "smart" people are in indiana!
not to mention, she didnt realize that they didnt taste like candy or was edible after the first one? i mean, eating one by mistake, fine, but 30 pieces? REALLY??
sounds like the parents are just in need of money..
how stupid is she.ahahaha
perez: I love your site!
this is crazy!
sis
stupid people and their litigious ways. we (americans) live in china and my kids have magnetix and lots of other toys that could be dangerous. here babies even ride on motorbikes because PARENTS take responsibility and not everyone sues the product maker because they are such idiots!
magnetix is a great building toy and it is a sad story but terrible things always happen- you could hang yourself with a jumprope or fall off a bike and die-
AMERICANS, stop your stupid lawsuits!
i feel so sorry for this poor child lacking supervision of parents so what she is 8 years old parents need to watch her every mover her parents are STUPID and they are such IDIOTS for not paying attention now i wonder how they would have felt if the poor child passed away they wouldnt be happy at all so they need to WATCH THEIR DAMN CHILD!!!!!
Re: Krissy –
Oh please. They don't even look like candy! They look like magnets! I'm sorry to dis another persons child, but she obviously isnt that bright if she can eat 30 magnets and steel balls and not realize that they aren't candy.
My 9 year old son has had magnetixs since his 4th birthday and never once thought they were edible.
It is not the companies fault that people are stupid and parents are oblivious…
And just think… our future lies in the hands of the young!!
Re: andy –
No on grey's it was a man that ate puppy heads…
Shes a dumb Bitch. Im sorry. No im not sorry. shes 8, not 2 or 3 or even 4. What the fuck? She thought it was candy? I think she would realize its not candy after tasting the first one.
I bet it was all a plan to get millions, from her dumbass parents, swallow these honey…and i'll take you to disneyworld.
THIS WAS AN EPISODE OF GREY'S ANATOMY!!
She's 8 !!! My 4 year old knows better !! (and he's got the same set). There are warnings all over the containers and when you take into consideration that they come in sets of 25 you have to wonder what the hell where her parents doing.
Idiot child, shes 8 years old, they shouldn't have to change there product just because a stupid kid thought it was candy. I mean she was so completely useless that she ate 30 and didn't even relise hey this doesn't taste like candy maybe I shouldn't put it in my fucking face.
SHE'S EIGHT!!! SHE KNEW BETTER!! I could see if it was a toddler or something but this girl knew what she was doing. She can't be that dumb!!!
If you watch the video, you can tell that she's not a normal 8 year old, whatever may be wrong with her. Given that, her parents should be lynched for giving her a toy with such small parts. Parents are so quick to blame to blame everything and everyone else and not take responsibility for themselves and their children. No doubt her parents were watching tv with their backs to her. Once again, it's the manufacturers fault and the parents have no responsibility whatsoever. That's like saying you're going to sue McDonald's because you're fat. Those toys do no look like candy in any way, at least not to someone that's 8 years old.
She gets A's & B's? Is the american education system so backward than an 8 yr old with A's & B's is this dumb??
If she was like 3 or 4 yrs old then I could see the problem - but 8?! She may have been copying Grey's Anatomy to get some attention!!
Oh come on… the girl is 8. She should know better than to eat her toys!!
Re: Krissy – These things look nothing like candy. They are shiny stainless steel balls and magnets that look like dumbells, no way could anyone think they are candy. This girl obviously wanted to eat magnets and steel and then crap out a new and improved toy.
8 is a little old to be eating toys…that's second grade age?! dumb kid.
NO WONDER THIS WORLD IS GOING STRAIGHT TO HELL. WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH SOME OF YOU PEOPLE? TO JUDGE AND HAVE ZERO EMPATHY FOR THIS CHILD IS BEYOUND BELIEF TO ME. CALLING HER A RETARD AND CHALLENGED WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING HER OR HER PARENT IS SO SHAMEFUL. KARMAS A REAL BITCH PEOPLE, BECAREFUL WHAT IS SAY. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT PURTAINS TO CHILDREN.
u know the rule: if it looks like candy put it in your mouth and swallow.
WTF??? She is 8!!!!! it's not freaking candy
i'm a nanny for a 4 and 5 year old who play with this toy al the time and know the difference between IT and candy. There's GOT to be something wrong with that girl. i mean really…8 years old?!!!???!? c'mon will ya? GAHD!
An 8 yr old should know better then to eat toys and should without a doubt know the difference between candy and toys/metal!!!! I am guessing this child is handicapped… cause no smart 8 yr old would do that! Geez my 4 and 6 yr old know not to swallow them!
You know I thought about this happening when my nephews played with these. They are very tiny. But 8 years old seems quite old for this to happen, Maybe she was hungry.lol
Re: hey – you're probsbly lying. and if you're not, your cousin is a MORON.
My 8 year old plays with this type of magnet toy and does NOT think they resemble or taste like candy. They're cold steel ball bearing magnets and I explained to her that they WILL hurt her if she swallows them. Just like many toys will if you swallow them. Since she's a responsible 8 year old child, and I'm a responsible parent, she gets to play with these type toys…responsibly!
White children I tell you.
why blame at the kid? its just a kid, it was an accident
thank god the child is OK.
wow by 8 years old you'd think that a kid would know the difference between a magnet and a peice of candy. i don't know about anyone else, but i sure did. sounds like an attention whore thing to do.
u guys r all sooooo gayy get a life u like it up the butt just as much as perez
It's called Pica, look it up!
It's called Pica, look it up!!
not trying to be mean but jeez shouldn't an 8 year old know better??!!
Parents shouldn't blame toy maker. They allowed her to play with the toy so this is a result of a "mistake". These toys DO NOT look like candy. They are magnets and look like magnets. This kid was being plain STUPID because an 8 year old KNOWS BETTER. Guess she was testing what she's been told not to do… Hard lesson learned. SAD.
this was so one of the episodes of grey's anatomy last season!
what a fucking idiot.
thank god shes alive.
she so dumb.
gosh , i bet she's white.
My kids are 7 and 5 they have many of these toys and there is NO WAY these toys can be mistaken for candy. She clearly swallowed them intentionally, stupid kid. I can see accidentially swallowing 1 but thirty. How could you possibly think a metal ball was candy.
I mean that is crazy an 8 year old. there isn't such thing as silver candy they haven't made it yet. I mean she is also a really big girl. SHe knows better then that she also knows she is a human she shouldn't swalllow toys have you ever seen a girl who ever swallowed a little mar
I think 8 years old is certainly old enough to know not to eat toys and magnets. What the hell is the matter with this child?
what a little dick sucker
Ok, So you mistook the magnet for a candy the first time…what happened to the bunch of magnets you swallowed after that? Was there ever a point where you realized that the magnets didn't taste good, nor could you chew on them? This wasn't a baby, it was an 8 year old kid…and apparently a retarded one.
Her parent were in the same room. Her parent DID it
What a greedy little bitch
Hi my child gets A's and B's but isn't smart enough to notice a magnet when she sees it!? This is lame. The child should have an intelligence evaluation and her daddy needs to stop putting magnets in the candy dish.
yikes!
i still don't understand why we let western medicine trump darwinism
maybe the parents were having sex that's why they didn't see their child swallowing the toys! hahaha!
joke!
Man, that's near my hometown! I'm so embarrassed!
The child doesn't need to be called such names. Yes, it is out of the episode from Grey's Anatomy but it takes after true incidents. This child may be suffering from Pica. It "is an eating disorder typically defined as the persistent eating of nonnutritive substances for a period of at least 1 month at an age in which this behavior is developmentally inappropriate (eg, >18-24 mo). The definition occasionally is broadened to include the mouthing of nonnutritive substances. Individuals presenting with pica have been reported to mouth and/or ingest a wide variety of nonfood substances, including, but not limited to, clay, dirt, sand, stones, pebbles, hair, feces, lead, laundry starch, vinyl gloves, plastic, pencil erasers, ice, fingernails, paper, paint chips, coal, chalk, wood, plaster, light bulbs, needles, string, cigarette butts, wire, and burnt matches." emedicine.com
This child may suffer from Pica. Such as in the episode of Grey's Anatomy. It is a very serious condition and people of all ages may suffer from it. Mainly children, however, others may never grow out of not being able to differentiate materials from edible substances because of a mental disorder surrounding the issue.
"Pica is an eating disorder typically defined as the persistent eating of nonnutritive substances for a period of at least 1 month at an age in which this behavior is developmentally inappropriate (eg, >18-24 mo). The definition occasionally is broadened to include the mouthing of nonnutritive substances. Individuals presenting with pica have been reported to mouth and/or ingest a wide variety of nonfood substances, including, but not limited to, clay, dirt, sand, stones, pebbles, hair, feces, lead, laundry starch, vinyl gloves, plastic, pencil erasers, ice, fingernails, paper, paint chips, coal, chalk, wood, plaster, light bulbs, needles, string, cigarette butts, wire, and burnt matches." emedicine.com
Maybe she suffers from "pica"…