HOUSTON – A family in Spring released pictures Wednesday chronicling the day in March when their son had surgery to remove a water bottle from his tongue.
Trenton Mikkola, 9, said he took several sips out of his sports water bottle during a break at Theiss Elementary, when somehow the suction from the bottle pulled his tongue, getting it caught in the spout.
"My tongue was swollen, and it kept getting bigger and bigger," Mikkola said.
"[My tongue] felt like it was about to explode."
Mikkola said he eventually got his teacher's attention and was brought to the school nurse's office. There, he said, two substitute nurses attempted to remove the bottle before calling his mother.
"The way was it was described to me over-the-phone, there was no urgency," explained Tawanna Mikkola, Trenton's mother.
"I'm thinking he's just freaking out because something happened. I didn't realize it was such a degree," she continued.
Mikkola said that at one point, a maintenance worker from the school even attempted to cut the bottle from Trenton's tongue using what appeared to be a pair of pliers.
Nothing worked. The nurses then suggested that Trenton be brought to Urgent Care. From there, he went to another hospital, before being recommended to Texas Children's Hospital in Katy.
"A couple doctors came in and everybody was like, 'We've never seen this before. How'd this happen,'" Tawanna Mikkola said, explaining doctors' reaction to Trenton's injury.
Trenton went to three Emergency Rooms, eventually undergoing surgery at Texas Children's in Katy to remove the bottle.
He spent four days in the ICU.
The Mikkola's said doctors told them that Trenton had a restricted airway and should have been rushed to the ER sooner.
"[Doctors said] the school shouldn't have told you [to take Trenton to Urgent Care]. They should have called 911," Mikkola recounted.
Therein lies the issue, according to the Mikkola family: They believe staff at Theiss elementary didn't act quickly enough.
"I would rather err on the side of caution and have the ambulance come out and everything is fine than go this route," said Travis Mikkola, Trenton's father.
The district released the following statement:
"An incident did occur last year where a water bottle lid got stuck on a student's lips. While federal privacy laws prohibit Klein ISD from releasing specific information about students, Klein ISD can confirm that it acted swiftly and immediately to attempt to aid the child by involving the school nurse and obtaining other assistance.
"At no time did the nurse observe any obstructed airways or circulation concerns.
"The nurse remained with the child until the parent arrived and continuously provided aid.
"The campus principal has not received a request for the nurse's log of the incident.
"If ever a student's airway is blocked or there is potential that could become blocked, Klein ISD would call emergency services before calling the parent."
The Mikkola's say the opposite happened. They want their story to serve as a message to other parents.
"I want parents to see that type of thing and I want schools to be aware that there is a process and a protocol that I think you're supposed to follow," Tawanna Mikkola said.