When Kaitlin’s little brother Karlton, five, slipped away at a family party, she could never have imagined the tragedy that would unfold…
Hearing a cry, I turned to see a baby boy with jet-black hair being held by the midwife.
‘Wow, he’s huge!’ I marvelled, as my brother was passed to our mum Lisa and then my stepdad, Karl.
Later, after he’d been cleaned and weighed, Mum smiled at me.
‘Would you like to hold him, Kaitlin?’ she asked.
‘Love to,’ I nodded.
Cradling Karlton in my arms, I didn’t want to let go.
I felt emotional and grateful for being at my little brother’s birth.
I was 19, and when Mum had first told me she was pregnant, it had come as a shock.
I already had two younger brothers Joe, 16, and Will, 10, and had assumed our family was complete.
But as I went to Mum’s scans and felt the baby kick, I couldn’t wait to meet him.
And as soon as Karlton arrived, we all felt he was the missing piece of the puzzle.
Karlton grew into a kind, funny, and gorgeous little boy.
I took him to the park to feed the ducks and he loved riding my horses, which he called dinosaurs.
‘Roar!’ he bellowed as he sat on them.
Aged three, he was mad about prehistoric creatures.
He also loved looking good and would slick back his hair with gel.
One day when I popped over, he came running up to me.
‘Smell my aftershave, Kaitlin,’ he said.
'I'd better go and check on him'
‘You look very handsome,’ I laughed.
Once, I caught him walking past a mirror, winking at his reflection and saying: ‘Hey, sexy!’
He was hilarious and liked nothing better than entertaining us.
One day, I was having a cuppa with Mum when she had some news.
‘Karlton proposed to his girlfriend!’ she said.
‘But he’s only five,’ I laughed.
‘You know how romantic he is,’ she said. ‘He’s even asked me to get a ring so they can say they’re engaged!’
That was just like our sweet boy.
In time, I had twin daughters, Renae and Tianna.
One day, when the twins were eight months, we popped over to my mum and stepdad’s house.
As I stepped out of the car, Karlton came bounding over.
‘Where are my gorgeous girls,’ he said. ‘I’m an uncle now, you know!’
Walking into the living room, I noticed a large, green dinosaur-shaped helium balloon, which had floated up to the ceiling.
Mum told me they’d got it for Karlton a week ago from a fair.
For a couple of hours, we splashed in the pool and ate sandwiches in the garden.
‘Can I help feed the twins?’ Mum offered.
‘Yes please,’ I said gratefully.
Karlton, five, was a Mummy’s boy and, probably feeling a twinge of jealousy, asked for a cuddle.
‘I’ll give you Mummy time just as soon as I’ve fed the twins,’ she smiled.
'If anyone can make it, it's Karlton'
‘OK, I’ll go to the toilet,’ he said.
Usually, Mum would have gone with him, but I reassured her he’d be fine.
Shortly after, Karlton hadn’t returned.
‘I’d better go and check on him,’ Mum said.
Suddenly, I heard a horrendous squeal.
I ran into the house and saw Mum holding Karlton.
He was floppy and lifeless.
‘I found him with the balloon over his head,’ she screamed, telling me she’d pulled it off.
I took him from her and put him on the floor.
His eyes were open but he had a green tinge to his skin.
I rang the ambulance and started CPR, but to my utter horror, he wasn’t breathing.
He’s gone, I thought.
Suddenly, my neighbour — who was trained in first aid — ran into the room and I let her take over.
She kept going and didn’t give up.
Around four minutes later, the ambulance arrived and the paramedics started working on him.
When I heard one say they’d got a response, I rushed outside to find Mum, who had collapsed on the grass, screaming.
‘He’s going to be fine,’ I said, holding her.
And I truly believed it. He was young and healthy, and had never been ill.
Karlton was taken to hospital by ambulance, with Mum following in a police car.
Somehow, I drove the girls home to their dad, then rushed straight to hospital.
When I got there, Karlton was in intensive care, as machines beeped and breathed for him.
‘He’s in a coma,’ Mum said, looking broken.
We didn’t leave his side.
I also gelled his hair and sprayed on some of his favourite Marvel aftershave.
None of us knew exactly what had happened.
‘He must have put the balloon on his head like a costume to entertain his nieces,’ I said.
The consultant had told us he was in a really bad way, but we refused to give up hope.
‘If anyone’s going to make it, it’s Karlton,’ I said.
But as the days passed, he began to suffer seizures.
Six days later, the consultant told us he’d suffered extensive brain damage.
There was nothing they could do.
‘Can we wait to turn his ventilator off, so I can put on his pyjamas and read him a bedtime story?’ Mum asked through tears.
‘Of course,’ the doctor agreed.
When the time came, I left Mum and my stepdad to have a private moment with Karlton.
I still clung to hope he’d breathe by himself, but to our despair, he passed straightaway.
When I saw him, he looked so beautiful, like he was in a peaceful sleep.
‘I told him to stop being brave and go to sleep,’ said Mum. ‘I said: “Don’t worry about Mummy”.’
Afterwards, life seemed drained of any colour.
We all missed Karlton desperately.
In time, we held his funeral.
He was dressed in his favourite Yoda onesie and was laid to rest with his teddies.
His little coffin was carried into church in a carriage pulled by my horses.
The whole town came to a standstill, with hundreds lining the streets to pay their respects.
Afterwards, I threw my energy into fundraising for the hospital, the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, and Crawford House where families of sick children can stay, by holding a charity fun day.
We had so many questions about how Karlton had died, and hoped his inquest would provide answers.
In time, the assistant coroner said Karlton’s death was a tragic accident.
He said he’d died due to asphyxia, with the helium displacing the oxygen in his lungs and causing a brain injury.
Assistant coroner James Thompson said: ‘Karlton was simply a young boy with a curious mind looking for new experiences and, dare I say, some fun.'
He said he would write to the public health department at Newcastle City Council asking them to consider what can be done to raise awareness of the risks posed by helium balloons.
Addressing our family, the coroner said: 'I want to make it clear that no one could have predicted what would happen to Karlton that day. And it’s every parent's nightmare what did happen.'
Since Karlton’s death, I’ve heard of many cases where children have passed away from helium inhalation.
It’s not compulsory to put warnings on balloons, but I’ve rung every business making them in the North East to ask them to.
The more people that know about the dangers, the better.
There are so many alternatives to helium balloons. I’ll never have one in the house again.
Karlton was a blessing, but also — in the way he passed away — his life was a lesson.
I want to share his story so other families don’t suffer.
Kaitlin Barry, 26, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear