How my little boy nearly choked to death after eating popcorn

A mother-of-two from Kansas has shared how her 15-month-old toddler almost died after eating a piece of popcorn at Disneyland.

Lakynn Dockers, then 27, gave in to her son Briar’s demands to have the treat after seeing his sister have one while they were queuing for a ride.

But when she went to take the popcorn away from him, the little boy inhaled sharply to wail — which sucked a popcorn down his throat.

He coughed to clear the blockage and started wheezing and a quick check by paramedics suggested he was fine. Later that evening, however, the family rushed to the hospital after Briar woke from a nap with ‘labored breathing’ again.

Lakynn Dockers, from Kansas, needed to rush her son Briar to hospital (pictured) after a popcorn left him with labored breathing. He needed surgery to remove bits of the popcorn from his lungs

Lakynn Dockers, then 27, pictured with her son Briar. The family had been on a trip to Disneyland in southern California when the accident happened

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that youngsters under four years old should not be allowed to eat popcorn.

They warn that popcorn is a choking hazard for the age group and that the sharp edges of flakes can get caught in children’s throats causing gagging or choking.

Ms Dockers said her son cried and coughed for about 15 minutes after clearing the popcorn, causing her to leave the queue for the ride to find paramedics.

They carried out checks and said he had good color and good blood oxygen levels, putting the discomfort down to the popcorn likely scratching his throat.

The family continued to enjoy Disneyland but found later that evening that when Briar woke from a nap in the stroller he had ‘labored’ breathing again.

At this point, Ms Dockers said she became ‘frantic’ and took him to hospital.

Scans there quickly revealed he still had pieces of popcorn lodged in both lungs, with doctors saying they needed to rush him through for emergency surgery which he ‘may not survive’. 

Ms Dockers said: ‘They prepared us that it was high risk but it wasn’t until the surgeon came in to talk with us that we understood how high risk it was.

‘The surgeon made it clear that it was very likely Briar would not make it through his surgery due to his low oxygen levels and anticipating that the popcorn had expanded.

‘He wanted us to realize how serious it was and that there was a great possibility Briar would not be coming back out.

She added: ‘All we could do was cling to our baby and beg the doctors to bring him back out safe to us. It was the worst 1.5 hours of our lives.’

Ms Dockers, who at the time was also visiting Disneyland with her 29-month-old Hadlee and husband Eastin, revealed the story to warn other parents not to make the same mistake.

Briar demanded some popcorn after seeing his sister also had her first piece. 

‘We will share with you what our surgeon shared with us,’ she said.

‘With kids in these cases, many of them are brain-dead before they even get to him.

‘Do NOT give nuts, popcorn, grapes or raisins to kids under four.’

At the time of the accident in December 2021, she launched a fundraiser to help cover medical costs — which raised $12,175 of the $10,000 aim.

Briar is pictured above in hospital. He initially cleared the blockage from his throat. But scans later revealed bits of the popcorn were still in his lungs

Choking on objects such as popcorn, gum and hot dogs is one of the leading causes of death among children under four years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

About 160 children in this age bracket die from choking every year, estimates suggest.

Young children are at higher risk of choking because they are still learning how to chew properly.

They are also more likely to swallow items whole and to put things in their mouths that can easily block their smaller airways.