The parents of a Richmond, Kentucky child are planning a funeral after they say he accidentally swallowed cinnamon powder.Brianna Radar says her 4-year-old son, Matthew, was a climber. Wednesday morning he explored the kitchen at her apartment. While exploring, he got his hands on powdered cinnamon and began putting in his mouth.
What followed next, the coroner says, was a tragic accident.
“He started choking, it was like he was having a seizure and just collapsed,” says his mother.
Matthew was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead an hour and a half later. The coroner says cinnamon can cause asphyxiation when inhaled.
Teens and adults have participated in an online trend called “The Cinnamon Challenge,” in which they attempt to eat large amounts of the powder. Matthew’s mother want his death, although not related to the Cinnamon Challenge, to serve as a warning for others.
“To let people know cinnamon can kill. All these kids to the cinnamon challenge. They don’t think about the fact it can hurt them,” she says.
Matthew’s organs were donated to hopefully save other lives.
—Story by WLEX TV
