Leslie Bangamba and daughter Amélie made their latest donation to the Stollery last November; they've now raised more than $15,000 for the hospital where Amélie was taken following the incident in April 2020. (Supplied)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

amélie's second chance

Red Deer family’s journey from button battery scare comes full circle with new documentary

Jan 30, 2023 | 9:49 AM

A Red Deer mom has turned tragic and terrifying circumstances into art, and hopes those who watch the film she’s made will walk away educated and enlightened.

Leslie Bangamba was having a relatively normal day on April 9, 2020, when her daughter Amélie suddenly went into severe medical distress at their central Alberta home.

Then 18-month-old Amélie, whose story rdnewsNOW has kept readers apprised about, had ingested a button battery and would ultimately find herself on the brink of death.

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Thankfully, Amélie received immediate and long-term top-notch medical care and is now doing well, attending school, and living a fairly normal four-year-old life.

Thanks to a $20,000 grant from Telus STORYHIVE, as part of the inaugural Black Creators edition, Bangamba is set to release a documentary about Amélie’s close call that is equal parts shocking, eye-opening and heartwarming.

Amélie’s Second Chance will debut at noon on Feb. 1 on Telus Optik channel 707 and on the STORYHIVE YouTube channel.

(Madison Jamie Photography)

“It was important for me to tell this story because with the advocacy work that I do, I never really have the opportunity to give an extended version of what happened. I saw this opportunity to do a documentary from a parental lens and include the medical professionals involved so that people can see what really happened,” says Bangamba.

“One of my big things is showing the joy after the storm; I don’t want to dwell on the trauma of it, but that does have to be shared so people can see the important role medical staff play, as well as Canadian Blood Services, and others in supporting children who are in hospital.”

In the film, it’s noted that at one point, Amélie’s body had less than half the normal amount of blood, and that was before bleeding increased once the chemical reaction taking place inside her had gotten worse. At just 20 pounds, the toddler wound up with just four cups of blood in her body.

Amélie would also suffer multiple cardiac arrests.

In Bangamba’s words, there are more things which bring us together as human beings than there are which separate us.

“I hope viewers take away the importance of educating themselves on battery safety, number one, but also that they truly see there is so much that connects us,” she continues.

“I feel that while we were in COVID, which is when this happened, we forgot about the human compassion side of things, and who doctors and nurses really are. I want this documentary to humanize those folks, and show how they were emotionally connected to helping Amélie. We didn’t look the same, or come from the same line of work, but simply, human compassion really came to the forefront.”

That is on full display in the 34-minute documentary which takes those who watch it from the very moment things went awry — including the 9-1-1 call — up to present day, and everywhere in between on what was a harrowing journey for the family, to say the least.

It’s not lost on Bangamba that this documentary and other Black Creators STORYHIVE projects are being debuted during Black History Month.

“It does mean extra to me, because as a woman, and as a Black woman at that, I’m taking up space I wouldn’t traditionally be able. I’m an anomaly. There aren’t many people of colour in health spaces who are advocating for something that can affect everyone and anyone,” says Bangamba.

(Mecoh Bain Photography)

“There is power in storytelling, and through sharing our story and what happened, alongside the professional support we received, space has been held for me to talk about it, and a lot of people don’t get to do that. Instead, they suffer in silence.”

In September 2022, Amélie had her fifth surgery, and still visits the Stollery in Edmonton about once very six months, along with other regular appointments.

Since the incident in spring 2020, Amélie and family have raised over $15,000 for the Stollery Charitable Foundation through the Stollery Superstars program.

Bangamba has also spent time working with battery maker Duracell to better childproof the packaging for certain batteries. rdnewsNOW reported in Jan. 2021 that Duracell had also committed to adding a bitter coating to its button batteries in light of Amélie’s story.

Again, to view the documentary on Feb. 1, check out Telus Optik channel 707 or the STORYHIVE YouTube channel.

More about STORYHIVE is at storyhive.com.

READ MORE: Local filmmaker’s debut ‘I Can’t Breathe’ screens at Carnival Cinemas