Plastic toy stuck in Adelaide boy's throat for years
The family of an Adelaide boy diagnosed with asthma as a toddler was left in "complete and utter shock" when an urgent operation revealed the real cause of the boy's suffering.
Marley, now aged eight, developed a bad cough when he was two, dad Jay told Today.
He was diagnosed with asthma and given a puffer, but it did little to help him.
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Eight-year-old Marley had a plastic toy lodged in his throat for years. Today
And in the past couple of years, when Marley began playing football and basketball, he "went downhill pretty quick".
Marley was rarely able to finish a game due to his breathing difficulties, and began vomiting whenever he ate.
"We really wanted an answer. We had a feeling it was not asthma," Jay said.
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The toy was removed by surgeons. Today
Marley's parents pushed the doctors to investigate further, and Marley was ultimately flown to the Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital.
Surgeons there found the cause of Marley's problems - a plastic arts-and-crafts flower that had lodged in his throat for years.
Jay said he had nothing but praise for the doctors, but urged parents to listen to their instincts.
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Dad Jay said he knew something wasn't right. Today
"We wouldn't have done it without the hospital. but sometimes you've just got to push that little bit more," he said.
Marley himself, a young man of few words, is happy with where things are now.
"Good," he said, when asked how he was travelling currently.
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