Meatball Kills 13-Year-Old Boy In Virginia

A 13-year-old Virginia boy has succumbed to his injuries three days after choking on a meatball.

Josue Chavez Nolasco, a 7th grader at Providence Middle School in Chesterfield, was eating lunch on Feb. 15 when he choked on a meatball, according to Action News 5. A school resource offer tried to provide Nolasco with aid, according to the report.

Authorities were called to the scene and arrived at 11:20 a.m. Nolasco arrived at the hospital at 11:35 a.m. Doctors said Nolasco went 40 minutes without oxygen to his brain.

“They did blood tests, and the doctor told me the child didn’t have 20 minutes without oxygen to his brain. It was 40 minutes,” his mother, Karina, told the outlet.

Karina said she got a call while at work that her son suffered a medical emergency, so Nolasco’s father Lee rushed to the hospital instead, according to the report.

“A little later he called me and said you have to come because Josue is bad,” Karina recalled, speaking through a translator.

Karina said she and her family sat by Nolasco’s bedside for three days. (RELATED: Cause Of Death For Young ABC News Producer Dax Tejera Revealed)

“He wasn’t conscious, and I told him, ‘Papi, here’s mom. Mom’s here.’ His tears started coming out and that’s what broke me. I wanted to spend the majority of the time staying with him, kissing him, touching his hands.”

Nolasco succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, according to Action News 5.

A GoFundMe page was set up to help with Nolasco’s funeral expenses, having already raised more than $12,000.