11-month-old boy chokes to death on balloon while celebrating Halloween

KENOSHA, Wis. (WISN) - An 11-month-old Wisconsin boy died after swallowing and choking on a balloon on the way home from a Halloween event. Now, his mother is sharing an important warning for parents.

Kisha Avitia-Wilson took her 11-month-old son, Don’vyaire Avitia-Mays, to an Oct. 24 trunk-or-treat event in Racine. On their drive home, she heard a loud sound coming from the back seat.

“Two of the balloons had just popped, and one of them had came undone,” Avitia-Wilson said.

Within seconds, Don’vyaire swallowed a piece of the balloon. His mother immediately pulled over, called police and then desperately tried to save him.

“I looked at him. He was blue. I tried to dig my fingers down his throat. I tried to do CPR. I tried to do everything that I could,” Avitia-Wilson said.

Kenosha Police say officers responded to the scene in minutes. Emergency crews tried to save Don’vyaire, but it was too late.

“I lost my baby boy in a matter of five seconds. There was nothing that I could have done to save his life,” said Avitia-Wilson through tears.

Avitia-Wilson, who was 31 weeks pregnant at the time, says the stress caused her to go into labor early.

“It was just very heavy on me, and I contracted that whole day, just trying to fight through it because I wanted to make it to my baby boy’s funeral,” she said.

She brought one son into the world on a Wednesday then buried a son on Friday.

Don’vyaire never made it to his first birthday. His mother wants to share her story as a warning for all parents.

“I just want all mothers to know balloons are dangerous. This can happen to anyone’s child, and I just want my son to make it the last child,” Avitia-Wilson said.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help support the family.