Many parents work hard to ensure that their children maintain a healthy diet most of the time. However, there are occasions such as birthdays or holidays when parents willingly allow their kids to enjoy treats that might not be packed with nutrients.

For most, a treat is simply harmless fun, not something that would land a child in the hospital. Yet, this was not the case for one mother, Kim Moore, who faced a terrifying situation when her four-year-old daughter, Marnie, became unresponsive after consuming a well-known iced drink at a child’s party.

When Marnie suddenly lost consciousness, her mom hurried to get her medical help. Doctors discovered that the cause was critically low blood sugar levels, which they attributed to the drink Marnie had sipped just before fainting.

A Shocking Incident

At the event, Moore had obtained two large refillable slushie drinks for her daughters. The kids would run around, stopping by for a quick drink now and then. Marnie, the younger one, had only consumed about half of hers when something went terribly wrong.

Not long after, Marnie began to seem agitated. She then grew tired and lay down, looking to nap. Moore suspected her daughter was merely weary, only to realize the severity when Marnie wouldn’t wake up, and had gone pale. Marnie had fainted.

Emergency responders were called in haste, and they took Marnie to the nearest hospital. She remained unconscious for almost half an hour as medical staff worked frantically to stabilize her blood sugar levels.

Marnie was hospitalized for three days, during which doctors kept a careful watch on her blood sugar and other vital signs. Kim Moore suspects her daughter experienced glycerol toxicity, as the slushies were sweetened with glycerol, a sugar substitute.

“In the hospital, she was crying out in pain, complaining of a headache, and even vomited,” Moore recounted. “Reflecting on it, she displayed every single symptom of glycerol toxicity. We were moved to another hospital but still had no answers about what caused it. We started investigating the slushie since it was the only new thing she’d had.”

Since the traumatic experience, Moore has emerged as a strong critic of slushies, labeling them as “poison.” She passionately campaigns against children consuming them and insists they should not be sold to anyone under 12 years old, due to the distress her family endured.

“Personally, I won’t let my child touch one ever again. It’s a risk I’m not prepared to take,” she stated. “In all fairness, I believe they shouldn’t be available to kids who are 12 or younger. I wouldn’t wish our ordeal on anyone. It was horrible.”