Noah

Christmas novelties and decorations, while within easy reach, are not suitable for children to play with and can lead to accidental injury. Noah’s mum, Caroline, tells his story.

In what should have been a festive week of celebration, five-year-old Noah had his face gashed by a shattered glass bauble and needed urgent surgery. Here, we hear from Noah’s Mum, Caroline.

“We hung up our Christmas decorations as we have done every year, not giving potential hazards a second thought. Noah was playing near the tree, he slipped and as he did, he knocked a glass bauble off the tree and his face landed on it.

“Noah stood up and shouted ‘mummy’ and when I looked at him, I actually couldn’t believe what I saw -  the skin on his chin was just flapping open!

“We called an ambulance straight away, but as he was breathing he was not considered an emergency and we waited over an hour. I then called a nurse friend who advised he needed surgery as soon as possible. By sheer luck, her husband is a top facial plastic surgeon and they arranged for us to be seen at the hospital he works at. We jumped in a taxi and on arrival were met by the surgeon who literally saved Noah’s face.

“Noah needed two hours of surgery and 40 stitches. The shattered glass bauble missed a crucial facial nerve by a
whisper, and if it had cut through it, Noah would have lost all facial movement and not been able to eat or drink
properly. If the glass bauble had cut higher up his face, he could have lost his eye. A little lower down it could have
caught his jugular and killed him.

“Simon, our surgeon was shocked at the severity of the wound. Noah was so incredibly brave, and he didn’t have any anaesthetic during surgery. He is a little hero and I’m so grateful it wasn’t worse. He has a significant scar on his chin
that we massage every day. The surgeon said Noah’s recovery has exceeded his expectations and he now has full
facial movement.

“I had never thought about the danger of glass decorations that can so easily be knocked of the tree, by pets, toddlers walking past etc, especially when the tree starts drooping.

“I am shocked to have since learned that Christmas decorations have no quality and safety legislation.  We need retailers to at least carry a warning on potential hazards for decorations so people can make informed decisions when selecting them for their homes, and also perhaps pay more attention to how securely they are displayed.”