Poison Control issues warning about the toy water beads after girl nearly dies

Just ahead of the holiday weekend, there are some alarms about the toy water beads after a little girl swallowed one, nearly killing her.

Water beads are a children’s toy that expands when they’re put into water. Last month, baby Kennedy’s mom says her daughter had to undergo several emergency surgeries to clear a blockage in her small intestine because she accidentally swallowed a water bead.

Folichia Mitchell documented the horrifying ordeal on social media, giving updates on her daughter’s condition.

“There were a couple of times that her chance of survival was like 50/50. They couldn’t tell me that she was gonna be okay or that she would make it,” Mitchell said.

According to the National Poison Control Center, swallowing a water bead can cause life-threatening intestinal damage since it can expand to up to 200 times its initial size when it absorbs water.

After Folichia’s story went viral, Target removed the toy from its shelves.