Parents of Edinburgh toddler who suffered horrific third-degree burns in Brazilian superglue nightmare launch appeal to bring him home

Little Torben Manners suffered severe burns when he poured super-strengh glue on to his torso in a nursery.

An urgent appeal has been launched to raise £8,500 for a medical escort to bring a 19-month-old toddler safely home to Edinburgh after he suffered third-degree burns in a bizarre accident in Brazil.

Little Torben Manners suffered severe burns when he poured super-strengh glue on to his torso in a nursery while his parents were on an extended break from Scotland.

Jodie Manners, Torben’s mother, created a gofundme appeal two days ago which asked for members of the public to help the family get their son home, in order to receive the urgent specialist medical attention that he needs in Edinburgh.

Parents of Edinburgh toddler who suffered horrific third-degree burns in Brazilian superglue nightmare launch appeal to bring him home

Torben had been at a nursery when he was left unsupervised with a box of super-strength glue.

As a typically curious child, he explored the box but accidentally tipped it on to himself.

The chemicals in the glue reacted with the cotton in his top causing severe burns and open wounds on his body.

Jodie, said: “Kids rely on us to keep them safe. And his nursery, of all places, failed to do that.

“They left him unsupervised with a large container of glue. Like most babies, he’s curious. So he grabbed the container and pulled it over himself.

“But this wasn’t the water-based, PVA most nurseries use... it was super glue and, as it hit his cotton clothes, it triggered a chemical reaction that superheated in milliseconds and burnt right through his skin, leaving him with extensive third degree, full-thickness burns.

“Even after the glue was removed, it kept burning him for days, increasing the depth and severity of his wounds. They went from 2nd to almost entirely 3rd degree burns. I can only imagine how much pain he was in.”

Jodie Manners, Torbens mother, created a gofundme appeal two days ago which asked for members of the public to help the family get their son home

The mother is pleading with anyone who can help them to bring their son home to receive medical attention that he is not able to obtain in Brazil. She says he needs over a year of rehabilitative care.

"He’ll need skin grafts, wound care, custom compression bandages, physiotherapy, psychotherapy and more if he’s going to retain full use of his arm and recover from the trauma of this incident," she added.

Torben, along with both his parents, had planned on staying in Brazil until March. However, they worry that if he does not return to Edinburgh in the immediate future then he will suffer from injuries and scars that may never heal.

The family had moved to Brazil for six months to introduce Torben to his Brazilian family and to save money in order to pay off debt.

Since Torben is a natural citizen of Brazil he is not covered by their travel insurance and thus the family has had to appeal to the public for help.

Jodie said:“Every day our baby wakes in his hospital bed, which he hates (he’s not the kind of baby to be kept behind bars). He’s forced to take strong medicines, which makes him cry (he always hating being forced to do anything). He’s then drugged with ketamine and tramadol so his wounds can be scrubbed and cleaned without hurting or scaring him.

Jodie added: “I’ll be completely honest and say that the last ten days have been the worst of our lives for me, my husband and, of course, Torben.”

By Monday, December 30, the appeal had raised 4,787.

You can donate to the appeal HERE