A 14-month-old Gold Coast boy is fighting for life after inhaling cake decorating powder while his mother prepared a Bluey-themed birthday cake for a friend’s son.

Dustin was at home with his mother, professional baker Katie, on Friday when he got hold of a container of gold dust powder commonly used to decorate cakes.

Katie immediately called triple-0, and Dustin was rushed to the Children’s Hospital in Brisbane.

The toddler has since undergone emergency surgery to clear his lungs, but remains in an induced coma and is unable to breathe on his own.

Family friend Rochelle Evrard has since launched a GoFundMe to support Dustin’s family.

“Katie has been making cakes for us since I was pregnant,” she said.

“This weekend, for my beautiful boy’s 1st birthday, she had offered to make him a Bluey cake — and sadly, while she was making his cake, her little man Dusty got hold of a “gold dust powder” and inhaled it.

“When the dust is mixed with water, it turns to paste — so it immediately blocked Dusty’s lungs.

“He’s had to have surgery already to clear his lungs and is now in an induced coma (like truly WTF!!).”

Speaking on Sunrise on Wednesday, Evrard described Dustin as “the most beautiful little adventurous boy”.

“He got into a drawer and got some powder out and inhaled it. He’s not doing too well,” she said.

Evrard, who lost her own daughter while she was in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in 2023, said she understood the trauma the family was experiencing.

“I absolutely know the feeling of having a baby in NICU, and it’s horrific, and the last thing you need to be thinking about is finances,” she said.

Doctors have described Dustin’s condition as rare and are unable to say how long he will need to remain in hospital.

He is due to undergo another procedure to move a breathing tube from his mouth to his nose, and check his lungs again as doctors continue to monitor his condition.

Dustin’s parents, Katie and Chris, are both sole traders and are now facing the uncertainty of being unable to work while staying by his side in Brisbane.

“Ronald McDonald House only have accommodation for them until tomorrow, so now they need to pay for accommodation while also trying to keep up with their mortgage and normal life expenses (they live on the GC and are in hospital in Brisbane).”

The supplier of the gold dust has since pulled the product from shelves and is contacting stockists following the incident.

Evrard said Katie is now determined to raise awareness among parents and bakers about the dangers of decorative cake products.

“Katie’s just wanting all mums to know, and maybe cake bakers in particular, that products that happen to be in our shelves or in our cupboards aren’t necessarily edible,” Evrard said.

The decorative powder is commonly used in cake decorating across Australia.