Woman Swallows 55 Batteries

by Mary Ann Taylor, on empathy

Who: We aren’t told. Let’s call her Brdget.

What: AA and AAA batteries

Where: Dublin, Ireland

Why: An apparent attempt at self-harm

When: September 2022

The narrative: So, suddenly, our Bridget (Irish goddess of fire, poetry, wisdom, and a saint) has her intestines full of seven brands of household batteries available for X-ray (note attendant supporting bone structure) then documented and published (with permission) in Volune 115 of the Irish Medicxal Journal. Said batteries, removed by various innamed procedures, appear in photographs, unwashed, in two rows. Earlier, five successfully passed, their later fate unknown to us. To the surgeons’ best knowledge, “the highest reported number of batteries ingested at a single point in time.”

The observation: Yes, this is how we are. Counting, observing, analyzing, documenting, and helping a suffering fellow traveler who presents with a gut full of luckily-not-leaking energy sources.

The conclusion: For the sake of all this is holy, did someone remove and/or address Bridget’s cares? Assure her that someone can do more than count? Help her find peace? The lead surgeon’s email is included. Should we ask? Her life—as of all goddesses of poetry—must continue.