Faith Waterman Batistich wanted to make her little girl laugh. She also wanted her guests to laugh. So, at her daughter’s second birthday party in September 2022, the 20-year-old mum joined in with a familiar bit of fun. She inhaled helium to turn her voice squeaky and silly.

Then the moment shifted. Someone suggested using the helium canister directly instead of a balloon. Faith tried it. The gas rushed in fast, her sister later recalled, and Faith collapsed almost at once.

Helium does not poison the body. Instead, it pushes oxygen out of the lungs. As a result, the brain can lose oxygen in seconds. Witnesses said Faith “went blue” quickly. Family members started CPR immediately. However, the party took place in a small town near Tauranga, and an ambulance reportedly took about 45 minutes to arrive. Faith died from asphyxiation.

Afterward, the coroner described her death as sudden, unexpected, and heartbreaking. The coroner also warned that many people still view helium as harmless. Yet the danger climbs sharply when someone inhales pressurised gas from a cylinder. You can take in far more helium, far more quickly.

Because of that risk, the coroner called for clearer, bolder warning labels on canisters. The message is simple: the “party trick” can turn fatal.