The family of a young mother who died after inhaling helium at her child’s birthday party have described their desperate efforts to save the “bright and bubbly” woman.

Faith Waterman Batistich’s loved ones say helium sales should also be restricted after a moment of light-hearted fun killed the mother of two in a matter of seconds.

The 20-year-old Te Puke woman died in September 2022, despite an hour-long battle to save her life.

Her death was referred to the coroner, who has released a warning about the dangers of inhaling helium.

“It started off as a normal day,” her twin sister Eden Waterman told the Herald on Sunday.

The family were preparing for the first birthday of Faith’s second child and had been using a helium canister to fill balloons for the party.

Members of the group began inhaling helium from the balloons to make their voices high.

“Everyone jumped on the bandwagon like, ‘oh, that’s so funny‘.”

Another member of the group suggested inhaling directly from the helium canister, saying they had done it before, Waterman said.

It took some convincing for Faith to agree to inhale from the canister, and just as she inhaled, another person turned up the flow on the canister, Waterman claimed.

“It went too fast and kind of shot her in the back of the neck. Her last words were literally, ‘Oh s***’ and she dropped.

“I was just, like, in shock. I kind of just froze and it was like, ‘what the f***, what am I seeing? Like, is this for real?’ I thought she was putting it on at the start.”

But Faith “went blue instantly” and her mum Diane Waterman and a cousin began CPR, continuing their efforts for 45 minutes until an ambulance arrived.

The paramedics battled for another 20 minutes to resuscitate Faith, including giving her four shots of adrenaline.

“Nothing got her back.”

Diane Waterman said helium gas attached to the oxygen molecules in a person’s body, and once that happened there was no saving her.

“It wouldn’t matter whether she was even in a hospital environment when it happened, there’s no coming back from it,” she said.

Helium gas is colourless, odourless, and tasteless. When inhaled it displaces oxygen in the lungs and causes hypoxia – low blood oxygen, which can cause damage and ultimately death.

Eden Waterman said Faith was “gone instantly”. The report on her cause of death noted she would have died rapidly. “She didn’t suffer.”

She said losing her twin sister was “a different type of loss”.

“It’s like you lost yourself as well.”

The pair were just over a week away from celebrating their 21st birthday together.

“She was bright and bubbly, just happy. Loud and obnoxious – you could hear her from freaking Africa, you will literally hear her before you see her.

“Just her being around was the best thing ever ... there was no dull moment with her.”

The family have shared a warning to others thinking about inhaling helium: “Just don’t do it”.

“We refuse to purchase helium or be around anyone who has it,” Waterman said.

Even seeing helium balloons out in public was traumatising, she and her mother said.

Coroner wants better warning labels

In New Zealand, helium canisters can be bought over the counter and can also be purchased online without any restrictions.

Diane Waterman said she saw helium for sale in a store the other day and the warning on the canister that said not to inhale it was so small as to be nearly impossible to read.

Eden Waterman said helium sales should be restricted, ideally with staff at a store filling balloons rather than selling canisters for use.

In inquest findings publicly released this week, Coroner Louella Dunn said it was apparent Faith was “unaware of the inherent dangers of inhaling helium. Her death was unexpected and tragic.”

“It can be considered funny and entertaining in a party environment to inhale helium which produces a high-pitched noise similar to that of a chipmunk.

“This is a known party pleaser. Many people are, however, unaware of the potential threats of inhaling helium in such a situation. What may seem like harmless fun is potentially life-threatening.

The “chipmunk” voice occurs because helium is much lighter than air, causing sound waves to travel faster and amplifying the higher frequency in the voice.

It was clear there was a “mistaken belief” in the community about the dangers of inhaling helium, and Coroner Dunn made several recommendations aimed at preventing future tragedies.

“These threats are heightened when inhaling pressurised helium from a cylinder/canister given the amount that can enter the body due to the pressurised gas.”

Mother of two Faith Waterman Batistich died after inhaling helium included in a "Parties for everyone" balloon kit, the coroner ruled.

Photos of the canister in question, manufactured by Australian company Alpen, were provided to the coroner.

On the side of the bottle were instructions and warnings.

The warning statement advises purchasers to keep the canisters out of reach of children, that balloons represent a possible choking hazard and that they are made of natural rubber latex, which may cause allergic reactions.

Under the heading “danger – contents under pressure” was a further list of warnings including:

• Do not place nozzle in mouth or nose for any reason. Doing so can damage lungs and other body parts which can result in serious personal injury or death. The cylinder contains compressed helium under pressure.
• Do not inhale helium. Use only in well-ventilated area. Never use in closed spaces. Helium reduces oxygen available for breathing. Inhaling helium can result in serious personal injury or death.

“The canister’s warnings are in very small print. The warning relevant to dangers of inhalation is the last warning of five other listed warnings,” said the coroner.

“I am concerned that the warning sign advising of the dangers of helium inhalation is not given sufficient prominence on the canister. Many members of the public would be unaware of the potential risk of inhaling helium from a pressurised canister.

“I recommend that the warning should be in bold print at the top of the canister stating: ‘Do not inhale – risk of serious personal injury or death’."

-Bay of Plenty Times