Friday, April 13, 2012

Sophia and the Not-So-Lucky-Penny

You've heard the adage: "See a penny, pick it up. Then all day you'll have good luck." Well, the opposite proved true when my sweet granddaughter Sophia accidentally swallowed a penny last week. It lodged firmly in her throat, tilting just slightly enough to leave a small airway. But she was coughing and gasping and struggling for breath, and despite her parents' (Ashley and Jason) best efforts, that penny was stuck. Unless you've been in that situation before, it's impossible to imagine the panic you feel when your child is in such a terrifying situation.


Sophia was whisked to the hospital, where doctors hurried to her care. An X-ray showed the precise position in her throat, and as scared as we were, we learned how lucky Sophia was: with just the slightest different position, the penny could have fallen into her lungs or completely blocked the airway and proven fatal. Doctors put her under anesthesia and, with a scope down her throat, pulled the penny free. By the time she came to, she was my usual giggly, happy girl again!

Yet another reminder of how sweet and precious life is and how it only takes a moment for a situation to transform from everyday to emergency. I'm so grateful for my Ashley and Jason's quick thinking, the doctors' trained hands, the easy access of good medical care, and of course, my lucky penny, little Sophia!

29 comments:

  1. So glad things worked out well! Going to have to put that trip down in the scrapbook! Amazing how kids want to put everything in their mouths!

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  2. Oh my goodness, how scary. I'm so grateful the Lord was watching out for your sweet family.

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  3. I did that exact thing as a child, I still have the penny in my baby book almost 40 years later.

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  4. So glad God was watching over her! My son did the same thing with a die(dice) the week before his 1st bday. It is an awful feeling for the parents! He is now a 25 year old youth pastor:)

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  5. Yup, kids are precious! Our son Elliott did the same thing... the day after he had been at a Birthday party and they had given out chocolate coins. So Elliott ate one too.
    It was all ok in the end, after the scary hospital visit.... and in the end is literally ended up, lol.
    Kids, gotta love em'!! Elliott is now 22 and wears size 13 shoes. He was ok!

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  6. So glad this story had a happy ending! Seems like all kids have a story to tell from their childhood which gave their parents gray hair! Sometimes it's a fall, or they swallow something, or they get stuck somewhere or they get lost. I think God and luck were both on Sophia's side by having been blessed with great parents and having access to great medical care.

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  7. Kids can cause us so many grey hairs with the things they get into, but we love them to bits! My son had me in the emergency room several times when he was little after slicing his foot open (6 stitches), falling from a tree (broken arm), and slipping on a pool deck (concusion). So glad to hear your little granddaughter (who, I must say, is a little cutie pie!) is none the worse for wear after this. Thank God for watching over her and seeing her through this!

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  8. Frightening! So glad all went well and Sophia is so beautiful.

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  9. So glad to hear everything worked out and so thankful that her parents were so quick to respond. I know my parents had this same feeling when I was a girl, swallow a penny when I was 3 or so. Mom still has the penny with my baby stuff.

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  10. When a friend's daughter swallowed a handful of coins, they experienced the same panic. Thankfully, after a similar procedure, she was fine. Two of the pennies they extracted reside permanently in her baby book with the title $3000 Pennies.... LOL so thankful your Lucky Penny is fine :)

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  11. Oh my goodness Jeanette! SO glad that penny was luckily tilted and she was being looked over by Him...my daughter was around 18mths old and snuck some light brights into her mouth! Took a day for me to realize she'd eaten them when she had about a half a cup of them in her diaper!!! seeing as I was sitting right next to her doing light brights with her older sister...I'm amazed that she was able to sneak that past me!!!

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  12. OMG!! So happy that Sophia is doing fine now and back to her "happy girl" self. How scary for the whole family.

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  13. OMG Bet you guys were so worried!! Thankfully shes ok now!!

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  14. I did the very same thing when I was her age...I saw that shiney penney and put it right in my mouth! Sophia and I are both lucky girls!! My best to you all!

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  15. So glad all went well with your little Sophia. Love her little smile. I witnessed a little toddler choke on a dime about 20 years ago. She found a dime on the floor of the change room at the swimming pool. She put the dime in her mouth when her mommy was changing her after her swim. An ambulance was called and she was taken to the hospital. All turned out o. k. for her. I now pick up any coins I see that a little one might come a cross in their travels.

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  16. So, so glad that she is okay. I hope Ashley and Jason didn't age too much. ;) Why does everything seem to be food to them when they're that little? :)

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  17. What a relief that all's well that ends well! Poor Sophia! Sending up some grateful prayers for her well being, the quick thinking of her parents, and the competency of her medical team. Many blessings to you and yours, Jeanette!

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  18. wow... what a scarely moment... i'm so glad nothing bad happened to her!! :-)

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  19. I am so happy that Sophia was able to get the help she needed. I'm sure it was a very scary time for her parents. On the wall near the ENT OR at Sick Kids hospital in Toronto there are several posters showing all the coins, open safety pins, cheerios, nuts, etc. etc. that were rescued from children's throats, noses and ears. My 7 yr. old daughter choked on a hard candy but luckily my husband was able to dislodge it while I was on the phone calling 911. She is now a beautiful 36 yr. old mother of 3 adorable daughters. Only the youngest one (17 mos.) had a penchant for putting everything in her mouth but she seems to have out grown that now.

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  20. I agree, Sophia is very lucky to have smart, quick parents and available medical care! That was close - and I, too, am extremely thankful that she is alive today! Praise God!

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  21. Oh boy, I panicked just reading the story. How frightening. So relieved she's okay!

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  22. My second daughter Josie did just that same thing. We have the same Xray with a penny looking like she is wearing a necklace. Scary day. So glad miss Sophia is ok! We love you and your family.

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  23. Oh my goodness! I nearly choked myself when I saw the x-ray! Thank God she's okay. Poor parents! I hope they have recovered, too!

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  24. I thought you were kidding! Wow what a scare! I had to hit my daughter until food unlodged in her throat at a restaurant one time, not as bad as a penny but the scare kids can give you! So glad it's a happy ending.

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  25. My son swallowed a penny when he was five. We were all in the car at the time and we were panicked parents until we found out (via x-ray) that the penny had made its way into his stomach, so no danger of choking. My son asked for a xerox of his x-ray films and took them to school for show and tell. He's now 18, bright and handsome (proud mom).

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  26. Oh my, another sprouting of grey hair for momma and nana! I recall when my Danielle had to have Dr. Splinter (his real name!) remove a tiny eraser from her nose! Scary! Good thing you all were on it! I think I would have a necklace made for her out of the penny and give it to her when she is a bit older!

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