SAN ANTONIO – A mother is grieving after her son choked to death on a Christmas tree ornament.
18-month-old Lavante Maze got his hands on the ornament last Friday and put it in his mouth.
An ambulance took him to Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital, but paramedics were unable to save him.
"They told us, 'Ma'am, we did everything we could do and we could not save your son,'" Lavante's mother, Tashia Maze, 18, said. "It's just hurting me that I won't be able to see my baby anymore. I just want my baby to come home."
The tragedy still hasn't sunk in for the young mother whose son was alive one moment, but not the next. She said her pain is indescribable and wishes it for no one else.
With many Christmas trees still up and decorated, she has a warning for other parents of small children. "Anything small that a child could get a hold of and put in their mouth, you don't need that on your tree," she said.