What This Little Girl Left Up Her Nose For 6 Months Caused a Mysterious Illness

For the first time in six months, Khloe Russell doesn't have to stop playing every few minutes to blow her nose.

The 5-year-old girl from California has been suffering from a mystery illness that left three doctors perplexed about why antibiotics weren't helping what they believed to be a sinus infection.

"About six months ago, her nose just started [running] out of this one side. Green, green, green constantly and it stunk," Khloe's mother, Katelyn Powell, told ABC7 Eyewitness News.

Even though Khloe wasn't in any pain, her concerned family even took the little girl to the dentist to ensure that a problem with her teeth wasn't the culprit. After a particularly running bout of snot, Khloe's uncle encouraged her to blow her nose and when she did, everyone was surprised with what came out: a disintegrating safety pin that measured about 1.5 inches long.

"It was a huge object. It was bigger than her nose," said Powell. "We were horrified. I was like, 'Did you put this up there?' She did, but she forgot to tell me."

The pin wasn't visible when doctors scoped Khloe's nostril and her symptoms improved as soon as she blew it out. According to a comment Powell wrote after reports, the mishap happened when the little girl was building a castle. Khloe stuck it up her nose to see how far it would go — and didn't say anything because she didn't realize that it was lodged.

Even though Khloe promised never to do it again, her mother says she is receiving "horrendous" hate mail in regards to her parenting skills. "I hope people can understand that this can happen to their children and that it doesn't make their children stupid for doing it or not saying anything after," Powell wrote.