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Lindsay Dewey, a well-known social media influencer, is using her platform to spread awareness after an unimaginable tragedy took the life of her 22-month-old son, Reed. In an emotional Instagram post, she revealed that a large, leaning mirror in their home fell on her child, causing fatal injuries.
"To make a long story short, Reed had one of his suction cup bowls and stuck it on the mirror," Dewey wrote. "We're assuming he was pulling it back and forth to pry it off, and he pulled the mirror down on himself." The devastated mother said she never even heard Reed playing near the mirror—only the sudden, heart-wrenching crash. She lifted it off of him within seconds, but the damage was done.
Dewey described the mirror as "heavy-duty" and stated that she and her husband never thought it was a danger. "There was no way we thought our kids were strong enough to move it or pull it down," she explained, adding that the instructions did not require anchoring, though it was listed as an option.
Since sharing their story, Dewey has heard from numerous parents who have begun re-evaluating their own homes. "A few close people we've told literally started naming off items in their house that weren't anchored," she said. "It hit home for them because they realized it could have been them."
The couple initially debated whether to share their loss, fearing public scrutiny. However, Dewey ultimately decided to go public in hopes of preventing similar accidents. "You have no clue how easy it would be to keep this to ourselves and protect our hearts from potential backlash," she admitted. "But I truly couldn't keep it from other parents anymore."
Her post has since gone viral, prompting thousands of messages from parents expressing condolences, sharing their own close calls, and pledging to secure furniture and heavy decor in their homes. Experts have long warned about the dangers of unsecured household items, but stories like Reed's serve as a painful reminder of how quickly accidents can happen.
Dewey, who describes herself as a "protective mom" who takes extra safety precautions, said this tragedy proves that even the most cautious parents are not immune to freak accidents. "It hurts even more when it happens to a family who tries so hard to protect their kids," she wrote.
In the wake of the incident, the Dewey family hopes to turn their grief into action, advocating for increased awareness about the dangers of unsecured furniture. As heart-wrenching as their loss is, they hope their story will save other children's lives.
