Marisa Soto and her family have teamed up with Duracell, to bravely tell their heart-wrenching story and to introduce Duracell’s new child safety campaign – Power Safely. The Power Safely campaign strives to inform parents and caregivers on how they can help keep children safe through ongoing education, sharing safety tips, and by offering lithium coin products that come in child-secure packaging and are equipped with a non-toxic bitter coating, designed to help deter swallowing. Together, Duracell and the Soto family aim to bring awareness to the hidden danger of lithium coin batteries and steps parents can take to help avoid accidental ingestions.
It was a normal day in the Soto Family household, when Marisa and David Soto were getting ready to go to work. Their 13-month-old son Cameron was on their bedroom floor playing with a pile of his toys, still in sight of his mother who was curling her hair.
In the matter of seconds, their world was turned upside down. Terror and confusion struck Marisa as she witnessed her son starting to gag on the floor next to her. She looked around, and nothing dangerous seemed to be in sight. As Cameron’s physical condition continued to worsen, Marisa instinctively knew something was wrong, and rushed her son to the hospital.
After a series of x-rays, tests, and an emotional, seemingly never-ending wait in the Emergency Room, the parents were informed that their son had swallowed a small coin battery, which was lodged in Cameron’s esophagus. The saliva caused a chemical reaction with the battery in Cameron’s throat, resulting in a chemical burn and life threatening consequences.
Terror and confusion struck Marisa as she witnessed her son starting to gag on the floor next to her. She looked around, and nothing dangerous seemed to be in sight. As Cameron’s physical condition continued to worsen, Marisa instinctively knew something was wrong, and rushed her son to the hospital.
After a series of x-rays, tests, and an emotional, seemingly never-ending wait in the Emergency Room, the parents were informed that their son had
swallowed a small coin battery, which was lodged in Cameron’s esophagus. The saliva caused a chemical reaction with the battery in Cameron’s throat, resulting in a chemical burn and life threatening consequences.
Cameron and his family endured an unfathomable battle, consisting of multiple surgeries, a tracheotomy, and months of being in a medically induced coma.
As parents of two other young children, Marisa and David were used to prioritizing child safety around their home, and were no strangers to implementing safe practices, by installing baby gates, cameras, softening corners, locking drawers, and toppleproofing heavy furniture.
As a mother of three, having the knowledge of how to properly feed one of my children through a G-Tube was unimaginable, but it became my reality without any warning.
Lithium coin batteries can be a hazard for small children. If swallowed, a lithium coin battery can get lodged in a child’s esophagus and cause serious harm in as little as two hours.
Duracell has a tradition of investing in extensive development in features that can help keep children safe, specifically for its lithium coin batteries.
Duracell has a tradition of investing in extensive development in features that can help keep children safe, specifically for its lithium coin batteries.
Duracell has a tradition of investing in extensive development in features that can help keep children safe, specifically for its lithium coin batteries.
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