A Wisconsin mother’s world was shattered when her 11-month-old son died after choking on a piece of a balloon animal during a family Halloween celebration, just two days before he would have celebrated his first birthday.
Don’Vyaire Avita-Mays, affectionately known as “Baby Don,” died October 24 after the heartbreaking accident at a trunk-or-treat event in Kenosha, where his mother, Kisha Avita-Wilson, had taken him and his two older sisters for an evening of Halloween fun.
According to Avita-Wilson, her daughters had received balloon animals during the festivities, and the family was deliberately keeping them away from the baby because of the potential choking hazard.
But in a matter of seconds, everything changed.
“We were keeping the balloons away from Baby Don, and one of the balloons came undone,” the grieving mother told NBC Chicago.
She explained that her son suddenly grabbed the loose balloon and bit into it, causing the tied end to shoot into his throat.
Avita-Wilson immediately pulled her son from his car seat and tried desperately to save him. Another adult also attempted to help as the little boy began struggling to breathe.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene and attempted to remove the balloon fragment, but despite their efforts, Don’Vyaire went into cardiac arrest and could not be revived.
The little boy died on October 24. He would have turned one on October 26.
For his devastated mother, the loss has been almost impossible to comprehend.
“I don’t like to talk about him in past tense, but he isn’t here with us any longer,” she told NBC Chicago.
The tragedy has placed an additional strain on Avita-Wilson, who is approximately 30 weeks pregnant. According to a family fundraiser, she was hospitalized after experiencing premature contractions and early cervical dilation amid the overwhelming grief.
Her aunt and adoptive mother, Mary Lott, organized a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral expenses while the family struggles with the sudden loss.
In a touching tribute, relatives remembered Baby Don as a joyful little boy whose laughter was contagious and whose smile could brighten an entire room.
Now, Avita-Wilson is speaking publicly about the accident in hopes of preventing another family from experiencing the same heartbreak.
She believes existing safety warnings on balloons do not go far enough and is calling for stronger restrictions on products marketed to children.
“Balloons have warnings on them, but that is not enough,” she said. “They should stop selling them. Stop marketing them to kids. Stop producing them.”
Her concerns reflect a longstanding warning from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which cautions that uninflated balloons and broken balloon pieces can pose serious choking and suffocation hazards to children under 8.
Unlike many other small objects, latex balloon fragments can conform to the shape of a child’s airway, making them particularly dangerous. Federal safety guidance advises keeping uninflated balloons away from young children and immediately discarding broken pieces.
As the family prepares to lay Don’Vyaire to rest, his mother hopes that sharing his story will remind other parents how quickly an ordinary celebration can turn tragic.
For a family that should have been celebrating their little boy’s first birthday, the days that followed instead became a time of unimaginable loss.
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