Boy Survives Being Speared Through Heart by Barbecue Skewer

A boy in Brazil is lucky to be alive after he was speared through the heart by a barbecue skewer.

On Jan. 18, 11-year-old Marivaldo José da Silva was playing outside on a ladder when he lost his balance and fell backwards onto a barrel containing metal barbecue skewers, the Daily Mail reports. One of the skewers pierced him just below his left shoulder blade and angled upwards, piercing his heart before exiting through his chest.

Silva was rushed to a hospital, where he was stabilized before making the 106-mile-long journey to a medical facility more equipped to handle the situation.

“It was transfixed within the muscle and worked alongside the contractions,” Dr. Andrea Rolim, who helped treat the 11-year-old, said of the skewer, which was allegedly “vibrating along with the beat” of his heart.

It took doctors over an hour to remove the barbecue skewer, Rolim stating that “the operation was delicate and painstaking. We removed the skewer very carefully and cauterised the wound at every stage and sutured the perforated region.”

Doctors believe that had the family attempted to remove the spear before going to the hospital, the boy would have died. They also said that they believe that it was a miracle that he was still alive when he was brought to the hospital.

“I have no doubt that this boy was blessed. He had the benefit of a multidisciplinary medical team and the finger of God,” said Dr. Claudia Alburquerque, heart surgeon.

Silva is currently in stable condition and has been discharged from intensive care, though he still remains in the hospital under observation. He is being treated with antibiotics to prevent infection.