Parents share heartbreaking update on toddler fighting for life after freak birthday cake accident

The heartbroken parents of a 14-month-old boy left in a coma, left fighting for his life in after a baking mishap, have shared an update on his wellbeing. Dustin, aged 14 months, was rushed to hospital last weekend after inhaling gold baking dust which clogged his lungs and prevented him from breathing altogether. His mum , professional baker Katie Robinson, had been making a Bluey-themed birthday cake for a friend's son at the time. Dustin managed to get his hands on the container of metallic decorating dust, and soon began gasping for air. Some decorating powders can be dangerous to inhale, while others can be that, as well as flat out toxic. Katie and Dustin's dad, Chris, both "both had eyes” on the 14-month-old while he was with them in Katie's baking studio, but even constant supervision was not enough to keep the curious little boy at bay. “It was a matter of seconds before he was into something and choking,” she told, popular Australian morning TV programme Sunrise. "And you know, within minutes he was unresponsive.” The unopened canister was filled with metallic dust, which is used to decorate the cake, but is not edible. “It contains metals that shouldn’t be ingested or inhaled,” she said. "There’s so many (cake decorating powders) that are edible. They say 100 per cent edible on them. (You can) use them on directly on the cake – the parts that are being eaten." “However, this product here is supposed to be used on removable parts.” But, it seems the tiny tot is determined not to be beaten, with the Gold Coast mum telling another Aussie breakfast programme, Today, that her son is "a fighter". The Gold Coast mum said: “He’s been fighting so hard.” The doctors are so happy with him this morning at how he’s pushing back, and he’s saying that he’s ready to have that tube taken out,” she added. Dusty’s father, Chris Wildman, recounted the terrifying moments that make up every parent's worst nightmare, as he sat alongside his son as they tried to keep him awake as he struggled to breathe. “I just felt so helpless,” Chris told TV station Nine. After inhaling the dangerous powder, Dustin's parents immediately dialled triple zero - Australia's emergency number - with the tot rushed to Brisbane's Queensland Children's Hospital for urgent treatment. He remains there now, still in intensive care. Family friend Rochelle Evrard has since launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to support Dustin and his family through such a difficult time, with Rochelle admitting she feels responsible as the cake Katie was making was destined for her son. Speaking on to Australian breakfast programme Sunrise on Wednesday, Rochelle described Dustin as “the most beautiful little adventurous boy”. “Katie has been making cakes for us since I was pregnant,” she said. “This weekend, for my beautiful boy’s 1st birthday, she had offered to make him a Bluey cake — and sadly, while she was making his cake, her little man Dusty got hold of a “gold dust powder” and inhaled it. "He’s not doing too well," she added, stating the boy has been in an induced coma ever since, unable to breathe on his own. Rochelle, who lost her own daughter while she was admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in 2023, told the Aussie morning show that she can understand the rollercoaster of shock, pain, and horror the family was going through. “I absolutely know the feeling of having a baby in NICU, and it’s horrific, and the last thing you need to be thinking about is finances,” she said. So, she set up the GoFundMe fundraiser for the family two days ago, which has raised a staggering £25,835 - or AUD$48,480 - in donations as word spread about Dusty's horrific accident. Doctors are now continuing to monitor little Dustin’s condition, with medical experts unsure of his prognosis due to the rare nature of such a freak accident. He is set to undergo further surgery to move his breathing tubes, Rochelle said, and to check his lungs again. As for the gold dust at the centre of such a harrowing incident, its supplier has pulled the gold cake decorating dust from shelves. As for Dustin's mum, family friend Rochelle said she was determined to raise awareness among parents and bakers about the dangers of the decorative cake products. “Katie is just wanting all mums to know, and maybe cake bakers in particular, that products that happen to be in our shelves or in our cupboards aren’t necessarily edible,” the family friend said. You can donate to the GoFundMe by clicking here .