A mother has issued a warning to parents after her son developed severe burns to his face after brushing against a flower.
Ella Cain was playing innocently in the backyard when she smelled and tapped the stems of a plant with delicate yellow petals.
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The next morning, her mother, Audrey Cain, woke the two-year-old girl and saw small bubbles bubbling on her skin.
Thinking she was a victim of poison ivy, the 27-year-old businesswoman dabbed the marks with chamomile lotion to relieve the itching.
But later that day, the blisters broke out into large, violent-looking burns all over little Ella’s body, including her arms, legs, cheeks and nose.
After researching the plant online, which had invaded the family’s 113-acre property, Audrey realized it was a wild parsnip plant.
I was worried she would be scarred for life
Audrey Cain
The plant can trigger a skin disease also known as phytophotodermatitis.
The root of the plant – a parsnip – is good to eat.
But the above-ground plant carries a toxic sap that prevents the skin from protecting itself from the sun’s rays, causing horrific burns when exposed to natural light.
The panicked mother of four called doctors, who advised her to use hydrocortisone to soothe Ella’s burnt skin and keep the child out of sunlight.
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After coming into contact with the plant on July 23, 2023, Ella was forced to wear long-sleeved clothes and play in the shade all summer.
‘MUCH PAIN’
Now fully healed, Audrey is sharing the three-year-old’s experience to warn parents about the potentially toxic plant hiding in their gardens so they don’t have the same experience.
Audrey, from Vassalboro, Maine, USA, said: “It was heartbreaking to see her in so much pain and with these burns all over.
“We have that plant all over our property. We just thought it was some kind of flowering plant; We never knew it was dangerous.
“She was in our backyard. She never picked them, just smelled one, then just touched the stems.
“The next thing you know, she had all these burns, and they got progressively worse over the next few days, including all over her face.
“She must have bumped into one too, because her leg broke too.”
“I thought maybe she had come into contact with the poison ivy, but I looked all around the yard and didn’t see anything.
“So I looked up what the yellow plants were near our house and found out it was wild parsnip, and that’s what caused it.”
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The doctor advised Audrey to treat Ella’s burns with hydrocortisone cream and keep her away from sunlight to avoid worsening the burns.
KEEP YOUR SKIN COVERED FOR SUMMER
Audrey said: “Ella said it was itchy and painful, so we used chamomile lotion and then switched to hydrocortisone.
“So to cure it, we use vitamin E oil.
“The burns lasted up to two weeks before they healed, all the while she was saying how painful it was.
“The doctors said that for the rest of the summer she would have to be careful not to stay in the sun for too long and stay covered.
“We kept her play area shaded and her skin covered as much as possible.
“We live on 113 acres of land, so it would be impossible to get rid of them all, but we prune them as much as we can and spray the area.
“I was worried that she would be scarred for the rest of her life, but I think using vitamin E oil when she was in the healing phase really helped because she doesn’t have any scars.
“I’m sharing what happened just so people are aware of it and know to stay away from it.”
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What is parsnip plant burn? And how do you avoid this?
Wild parsnip brun is a skin disease also known as phytophotodermatitis.
- Burns on parsnip plants occur when a chemical called furocoumarin reacts with sunlight.
- This chemical is found in limes and citrus fruits, celery, figs, fennel, and several other plants.
- Burns usually begin as a rash that forms within 24 hours of exposure.
- People with a mild case of parsnip burn may not even notice it, as the condition tends to go away on its own.
- Worse cases can develop into serious blisters that can land you in the hospital
- Treatment varies depending on severity
- Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling citrus fruits, avoid touching others if you are preparing food, and cover yourself if you are drinking or eating outdoors during the summer months.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
