Camila Romero was brought to the doctor by her parents for a week-long fever that wouldn't go away. Doctors initially thought she might have a virus, but her mother, Cassandra Tafolla, asked for her daughter to be tested for pneumonia. A chest X-ray then revealed a button battery in Camila Romero's throat. Doctors at Loma Linda Children's Hospital removed the battery, but she was placed in a medically-induced coma due to extensive damage to her throat and upper respiratory system. The hole in her esophagus is very close to where the lungs part, about an eighth of an inch from each lung. Button batteries contain lithium and are especially dangerous if swallowed because contact with saliva or bodily fluids can trigger a chemical reaction that burns flesh in under two hours.
Camila Romero's parents, Cassandra Tafolla and Hugo Romero, are not sure when their daughter ingested the battery. They had never heard of button batteries before this incident but now understand the danger they pose to young children because they are shiny and small enough to be easily swallowed. They urged parents to stay vigilant and supervise children while playing with toys, as many contain button batteries. The family is hoping to schedule her next surgery sometime in the next week, pending doctor approval.
It burned a hole in her esophagus. Where it burned a hole is really close to where our lungs part. From the hole to her lungs, it's only about an eighth of an inch from each other.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been created to help Camila Romero's family pay for medical bills and provide financial support as they have been forced to miss work. The GoFundMe description states the funds are to relieve financial burden so the family can focus on Camila, not on bills, missed work, travel, or the unknown road ahead. As of Friday evening, the GoFundMe had raised more than an unspecified amount.