Step-mum issues warning after rare accident at a friend's barbecue (2024)

A stepmother claims her friend's BBQ nearly killed her when she swallowed a wire bristle from a cleaning brush that was hidden in her kebab - skewering inside her own throat and leaving her to cough up $12,000 in medical bills.

It took nine months, multiple surgeries, 28 days with no voice, and a team of doctors to get it removed - now she's warning others against the 'dangerous' cleaning devices.

Jessica Doster from Indianapolis, Indiana immediately knew something was wrong moments after eating a chicken shish kebab during a barbecue at a friend's house but thought it was a stuck piece of food that left her gasping for air.

However, when the pain got worse the 35-year-old visited the emergency room that evening - but medics simply told her she had most likely 'scratched her throat'.

Jessica was barely able to breathe or swallow whole foods - shedding six pounds in less than a week due to the foreign object that was secretly lurking in her throat.

After days in excruciating pain, the stepmum-of-one visited an ENT specialist who told her she had most likely swallowed a bristle from a wire brush used to clean a barbecue.

An x-ray and CT scan confirmed the doctor's suspicion, but medics opted not to take on the risky procedure to remove the one inch metal wire for eight months as it had punctured through Jessica's oesophogus.

Five years on since the incident, the healthcare administrator is still suffering the effects of what happened - and is calling for all wire brushes to be removed from the shelves.

Jessica said: 'I took a couple of bites [of my shish kebab] and immediately knew something was wrong.

'I thought I had something caught in my throat. There was a lot of pressure at the bottom of my neck.

'I immediately had to stop eating. I couldn't swallow. I could take sips of water and whisper words out. I knew something was very wrong.

'Now we know that nerve was puncturing my oesophagus. I couldn't eat solid foods. I was getting excruciating back pain radiating down my back. I was now gasping for air as I was breathing.

'I was scared I was going to die in my sleep. I went home from the hospital and the pain was unbearable.

She recalled: 'I thought I was going to die. I was able to see an ENT doctor as an emergency case and they couldn't see anything, I immediately started crying.'

'I had lost a significant amount of weight at this point. I hadn't eaten in six days - I couldn't even eat jelly. I could only drink broth or water.'

After explaining that her pain began after eating chicken off the grill, an ENT specialist told Jessica she had most likely swallowed a wire from a BBQ cleaning brush.

An x-ray and CT scan confirmed a metal bristle was puncturing through her oesophogus - however a four-hour procedure to retrieve the wire was unsuccessful and left Jessica unable to speak for 28 days.

Jessica said: 'When I went back for my post-op appointment, I was told they were going to leave it in my throat.

'He said people live with shrapnel in their bodies all the time and my body will adapt to it.

'No surgeon wanted to go back in there. My vocal chords were so damaged from the operation, they thought I was going to paralyse my vocal chords if I had another surgery.'

After six months of living with the wire in her throat, Jessica began experiencing pain in her throat once again and opted to undergo another surgery in January 2020 despite a 'high probability' of failure.

Jessica said: 'The doctor said I was lucky to be alive because the wire was actually up against my carotid artery at this point.

'It was a huge relief when they found it and got it out. Ity was actually 2cm long - it was nearly the size of a sewing needle.'

Jessica still has a raspy voice from the incident now - and had to fork out $12,000 in medical bills to pay for all her treatment.

She said: 'I'm so worried this could happen to kids and they can't explain what's happening to them. This isn't as uncommon as people think it is. It is a freak accident but there are stories worse than mine.

'Thankfully all my friends and family got rid of all their wire brushes after what happened to me. I don't understand how they're still able to be sold in stores.

'They're very dangerous and they should absolutely be banned. There are other options to clean your grill than this wire brush. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.'

She also took to social media to raise awareness of what happened to her earlier this month.

Jessica wrote on Facebook: 'It's May which means grilling/BBQ season is in full effect. Please remember to never, ever used wire brushes to clean your grills.

'I was told at 29 years old I was lucky enough to be alive from my surgeon who had finally removed a wire bristle from a grill brush - the size of a horse hair - from my throat.

'It had punctureed through my esophagus behind my thyroid, traveled through my coval chords, and landed up against my carotid artery. It took nine months and a team of doctors to locate and remove the wire.'

She went on to detail the exhaustive list of appointments, time, and money that the lengthy process took, as well as the mental trauma she endured such as nightmares, panic attacks, and diagnosed PTSD.

According to a 2016 study, about 1,700 people went to an emergency room between 2002 and 2014 after having ingested wire bristles in a grilled food.

And although it may seem like a small number, it only accounts for the cases where patients were admitted to the ER.

The study shows that injuries from grill brushes have been mostly reported in injuries with the mouth and throat, but in rare instances, some people have sustained stomach and intestinal injuries.

Instead of using a wire grill brush, experts recommend opting for non-wire brush, or a cleaning block, stone, or grill floss to keep your grill clean and avoid any trips to the emergency room.