2-Year-Old Boy Was Diagnosed with Small Bowel Syndrome after He Swallowed 16 Magnetic Balls

A Florida boy, Konin Arrington, was rushed to the hospital after swallowing Bucky Ball Magnets and is now in need of medical treatment following his prognosis.

A two-year-old boy was diagnosed with Small Bowel Syndrome after he swallowed 16 magnetic balls. Konin Arrington's mother, Hannah Arrington, set up a GoFundMe page for her little boy.

She revealed her son was transported to Arnold Palmer Hospital on May 18 due to the incident. Arrington shared Konin underwent a Laparotomy and had a repair of Gastrotomy, resulting in the removal of around 3 feet of his small intestines.

She disclosed the little one’s recovery process has been difficult as he has lost over 30% of his body weight due to Small Bowel Syndrome and an infection post-surgery.

He was readmitted to the medical center on June 9 and has had three feeding tubes placed. They are now getting a 4th feeding tube for Konin, who has yet to gain weight.

Arrington revealed that in the future, once Konin is stable and discharged from the hospital, they will be making hospital visits every week in Orlando for weight checks, among other things.

“With the added stress of bills needing to be paid, we reluctantly made this go fund me at the request of the family to help lessen the burdens we are currently facing," she said.

Arrington is warning other parents about the dangers of magnetic toys. She described her son’s experience as a long and heartbreaking road and said:

“I don’t think parents understand the amount of seriousness these desk toys have. You can die from it, and you can have lifelong issues from it because look where we are now."

The mom of five said they are taking it day by day, “Prayers are ever so needed as we fight this uphill battle with Konin," she shared. Arrington told CNN that the Buckyball had been in their home since April after one of his older siblings brought it home from school.

She shared she and her husband threw out the toy immediately after discovering it because they knew the dangers it could pose on young children. However, it was already too late as Konin had already swallowed magnets.

Their child began having abdominal pain and they scheduled a doctor’s appointment. The medical staff took him to the emergency room to rule out appendicitis.

An X-Ray revealed the problem and showed a line that looked like a pull chain cord for a fan. Then, doctors discovered what he swallowed, which became linked together in his intestines, creating holes from his stomach to his colon.

In September 2020, a 4-year-old boy from Indiana, Peyton MacNair, was also rushed to the hospital after he swallowed 27 magnets – two of which got stuck to the sides of his uvula.

A doctor who treated Peyton and found 25 magnets in his stomach, Dr. Michael Foreman, shared they have witnessed cases like Peyton triple up to nearly 3,000 per year. Fortunately for Peyton, the doctors were able to remove all 25 magnets.