Michigan Boy Dies After Laser Tonsil Surgery

May 22, 2009— -- Getting your tonsils out used to be just a rite of passage -- one that would leave memories of sore throats and extra popsicles at the end.

Routine tonsillectomies largely were abandoned after the discovery and adoption of antibiotics proved to reduce infections without surgery.

But 5-year-old Hunter Mosher's May 8 outpatient procedure to reduce his tonsils turned into a week of agony and tragedy.

"I just had a bad feeling the whole time," said Hunter's mother Erin Mosher, of Jones, Mich.

Mosher said she called the doctor on the way home shortly after laser procedure to reduce Hunter's tonsils at Watervliet Community Hospital in Watervliet, Mich.

"He's telling me he's in pain, and they're telling me, 'No, he's not.' They said, 'No ma'am, there's no pain'," said Mosher. "He's a tough little cookie. He knows when he's in pain."

The next day, Mosher took her son to a nearby emergency room at Three Rivers Hospital in Three Rivers, Mich., because he could not swallow. She said doctors gave him an IV but within five minutes blood was streaming out of his mouth, choking him.

"His carotid artery blew open and it was a race to save his life," said Mosher.

Hunter lost his heartbeat for 35 minutes. Doctors revived him and sent him to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Mich., but he fell into a coma and died a week later.

"There was nothing wrong with him before that," Mosher told a local ABC News affiliate. "The surgeon knows that there was something from his surgery that did this and killed my son."

Ray Cruse, CEO of Watervliet Community Hospital, issued a statement Thursday that read, "Everyone associated with our hospital was deeply saddened to learn about this. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time."

However, the hospital refused to comment on the specifics of Mosher's case, citing patient privacy.

Mosher said Hunter was an active and healthy boy who lived up to his name, following his father on every fishing and hunting trip.

"My husband has his truck and boat, and whenever he left the driveway, Hunter was in it," said Mosher. "He was his dad's little protege in that way."