Haley Lents, an 8-year-old from Indiana, swallowed 30 magnets and steel balls from a toy called Magnetix, made by Mega Brands, in late May. Haley underwent emergency surgery in order to remove the magnets that left 8 gunshot-like wounds in her intestines. Jason Lents says he and his wife were in the room when Haley consumed the parts and doesn’t know why his daughter would do such a thing, saying she “gets A's and B's, and we taught her not to do stuff like this.” Haley Lents told Early Show co-anchor, Maggie Rodriguez, she ingested the ten magnets and 20 steel balls because they “looked like candy.” Haley now wants to tell other kids not to do the same thing; she and her father will be spreading awareness. Mega Brands has issued the following statement: “Mega Brands was saddened to learn that a child sustained injury from ingesting a large number of toy parts, some of which apparently contained magnets. While we have not been able to confirm whether the toy involved was a Mega Brands product, it is clear this was a highly unusual and isolated situation and is not indicative of any problem with Mega Brands' magnetic construction toys currently on the market. In general, if a child swallows 30 pieces of any toy, it is likely that it will result in harm regardless of the toy in question.”
Posted by lycos50
at 4:48 PM EDT
