Kylie Rose Ricards was just like any other 3-year-old girl in many ways. She loved to swim, watch TV and smile anytime a camera was around.
However, in many ways, her life was far different since swallowing a “button” battery at 10 months old, which nearly killed her.
Ricards lived with the complications for nearly three years, always with a smile on her face, until she was found unresponsive on Aug. 19. She died that day.
Kylie’s story is shared by around 3,000 children each year who swallow button batteries, something a Bakersfield pediatrician called a big problem.
“There are more and more of these swallowing events every year,” said Dr. Fernando Fan. “The way button batteries cause harm, is that when you swallow it … it’s in contact with body fluids. It sets up a current … and then it will burn through the tissue.”
Button batteries are about the size of a nickel, smaller and flat compared to the popular batteries found in most electronics.
These different kind of batteries can be found in mobile devices, calculators, keyless car remotes, as well as weight scales and electronic candles – devices that often come pre-installed with batteries.