UK mother speaks out after son nearly died drinking cleaning liquid

The mother of a two-year-old who had to spend five days in an induced coma after consuming cleaning liquid has spoken out, more than a month after the terrible ordeal on 29 June.

Bodè Galligan (2), from Southwell in England, reportedly picked up a bottle of waxing equipment cleaning fluid in a room where his beautician mom, Emily Galligan (34), keeps her beauty treatments products, Nottingham Post reports.

Emily said the incident occurred after she’d fetched the toddler from his babysitter and his older sister, Nyla (5), from school. When her husband, Lee Galligan (36), got home from work his family were playing in the garden and went into the house to see him.

“We went through the house to see him and then I realised Bodè wasn’t behind me,” Emily said. “I went back and saw him drinking the fluid.

“I shouted to Lee and we tried to give him water. His breathing changed, his eyes were rolling and he started sweating.”

They called emergency services and the little boy was rushed by ambulance to King’s Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Mirror reports.

“We were told that if he didn’t go into an induced coma, we were going to lose him,” Emily said. “We were told to ring our families because it wasn’t looking good.”

At 3am the following morning the little boy was rushed to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham where he was admitted to the paediatric ICU centre.

Emily said the Sunday after the incident was the worst. “All this rubbish was being brought up from his lungs, and then he had no chest movement and they had to bring him back.

“I can’t describe how it felt. I don’t know how parents cope if they do lose a child. I felt physically sick. I felt that if he died it was my fault.”

Lee described the experience as “horrible”, adding that Queen’s hospital saved their son.

“Queen’s were absolutely unbelievable. Bodè was one-on-one with a nurse 24 hours a day. They literally didn’t leave his bedside. The care they give the parents, not just the children, is amazing. It’s like a big family.”

Emily said her beauty treatment products are usually locked away, but on that day she’d just finished waxing a client and was in a hurry to fetch the kids.

The parents are so thankful to Queen’s that they’re now raising money for the hospital, Good to Know reports.

Sources: Good to Know, Mirror, Nottingham Post