Holly Morrison went back to A&E again and again with her son, Michael, without getting answers – and now she is sharing their story to raise awareness about the risks of choking
A mum has warned others after her son choked on a pull ring from a can that did not show up on hospital X-rays. In April this year, Holly Morrison’s 10-year-old son Michael, was playing video games when he began to choke.
Holly, from Belfast, recounted the experience, saying: “He was panicked, but he was really coughing as if he was trying to clear something from his throat. I eventually got him settled enough and asked him what happened, and he said a ring pull was in his mouth.”
Despite being warned about putting things in his mouth, Michael – who has autism and ADHD – would often chew different items due to sensory issues. Holly took her son to hospital, but an X-ray of his lungs didn’t show the ring pull.
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However, when Michael kept wheezing, she took to TikTok to ask for advice, where other parents informed her that ring pulls only appear on a certain type of X-ray. Holly told Belfast Live that she then called an ambulance, but was told yet again in A&E that there was no ring pull in her son’s lungs.
Two days after the choking, Holly took Michael to the GP, where he was prescribed an inhaler. However, when his condition did not improve, the GP gave him oral steroids. They went back a third time and the GP prescribed antibiotics.
That night Michael choked on his dinner and the family went back to A&E again, where they were told that a ring pull was “very unlikely to be there”. At this point, Holly had been sharing TikTok videos about the experience, and someone reached out to tell her that ring pulls would only show up on a certain type of X-ray.
Holly went away to do her own research and found an article in the British Medical Journal that said a ring pull wouldn’t show up on a standard X-ray “because of the density”. When Holly took Michael back to A&E, she was adamant that the experts listen. A consultant went to X-ray a ring pull to test out her theory and came back to tell the mum that she was right.
She said: “He went and X-rayed a ring pull from a can then said to me ‘you’ve taught us all something, because it doesn’t show up.’” It was at this point that the ring pull was finally removed.
Following the ordeal, Holly said the Belfast Trust have made sure to inform staff about the findings. She said: “They should have known about it, especially the radiographers. I put a complaint into the Belfast Trust, who got back to me within the space of a week. I couldn’t believe how fast they were, they were fantastic.”
Holly continued: “They had a meeting in the hospital, and everybody was informed of it. When I was last on the phone to a consultant from the children’s A&E, she told me she was giving the information to hospitals in Northern Ireland, and wanted my permission to pass it around GP surgeries to make sure they’re aware of it.”
The mum advised other parents to “bug the heck” out of doctors if they are concerned and don’t feel they are getting the right answers. She said: “I was thinking to myself they’re going to think I’m a complete pain, but I didn’t care because I knew something wasn’t right.”
Dr Julie-Ann Maney, a Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, told Belfast Live: “While swallowing a can ring pull is a very rare occurrence, it is still extremely dangerous and we are grateful for any new information that can assist our medical staff.
“Michael’s case has been discussed by Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists and Emergency Department staff in the children’s hospital and we have shared our learning with ENT consultants, paediatricians and other health professionals in other NI Health Trusts.”
