An 8-year-old bought nearly 70,000 lollipops online. Here's how mom reacted.

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A Kentucky mother couldn't believe what was delivered to her home when her 8-year-old son yelled, “Mom, my suckers are here!”

What appeared on Holly LaFavers' Lexington residence's doorstep on May 4 was nearly two dozen cases of Dum-Dum lollipops. The culprit behind the massive delivery of candy was none other than her son, Liam.

Liam had mistakenly ordered the lollipops from Amazon just a day earlier when his mom was making breakfast. LaFavers told Paste BN on May 7 that he ordered a whopping 30 cases of Dum-Dums, or nearly 70,000 of them. 

“When I looked at my bank account … it was in the red,” LaFavers said, adding that she panicked because she’d recently gotten paid and the first of the month had just passed.

When LaFavers peeked at her bank statement to find out what had happened, she saw a $4,200 charge from Amazon.

Liam was trying to add some lollipops to the family’s Amazon cart, only he ordered the candy instead, sending his mother into “sheer panic,” she said. LaFavers immediately called Amazon to rectify the situation, and the company told her she needed to reject the delivery and then she could get her money back.

The only problem was that the delivery carrier did not knock on her door, which is located at the back of a condominium building, LaFavers said. She had no idea the lollipops were delivered, so she couldn't reject them, leaving her with 22 boxes.

A few hours later, she stopped a second delivery driver from dropping off more candy.

“I went flying out the door and met the woman at the door screaming ‘Don't take those out of your van,’” LaFavers recalled, adding that she was thankful she caught the second delivery driver so she could reject the remaining eight boxes of lollipops.

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Amazon agrees to refund Holly LaFavers her money

While LaFavers was able to stop that second delivery, she said she was still left with 22 boxes of Dum-Dums. As a single mother who works with children and families, she needed to make sure she got her money back, so she took to social media to see if any locals wanted to buy them.

Some people stepped up to help, but after local news station WKYT contacted her and offered to connect her to Amazon, the company had a change of heart and said they’d refund her $4,200.

“I could finally breathe again,” LaFavers told Paste BN. “Opening (your bank account statement) and not having any money, your first thought is ‘How am I going to feed my child? How am I going to provide for my child?'”

What happened to all the Dum-Dum lollipops?

The LaFavers ended up donating the lollipops. Some went to those who previously offered to buy some, while others went to different organizations. Liam and his mother also went to donate some of the suckers on May 6 to their church, Immanuel Baptist Church.

"You can give some to your granddaughters," Liam told the church's lead pastor as he dropped off the lollipops on May 6.

As of May 7, they have about six boxes left, LaFavers said.

Amazon spokesperson Austin Stowe said on May 7 that the company worked with the family to resolve the situation.

“We’re glad we were able to work directly with this customer to turn a sticky situation into something sweet,” Stowe said.

Liam LaFavers has fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Liam, who ordered the lollipops, was riding his scooter on May 4 when the first cases of Dum-Dums were delivered.

Liam has fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, his mother said, adding that she adopted him. The disorder is caused by alcohol exposure before birth and leads to physical, behavioral, and cognitive impairments, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, or the NIAAA.

“Part of the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is he doesn't understand cause and effect,” his mother said. “Consequences are very, very difficult for him to understand. The idea that there actually has to be money in the account before you purchase things … he just truly does not understand.”

According to the NIAAA, those who suffer from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder often struggle with:

• Daily life skills, such as feeding, bathing, counting money, telling time and minding personal safety
• Learning and memory
• Understanding and following directions
• Redirecting their attention between tasks
• Controlling emotions and impulsivity
• Communication and social skills
• Depression and anxiety

Part of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is hyper-fixation, and for Liam, he fixates on carnivals, his mother said. According to Liam, he loves the cotton candy flavored Dum-Dums and wanted to get the lollipops as part of a carnival for his friends.

While Liam’s lollipop order has drawn attention to his family, LaFavers said this is an opportunity to educate the public.

“I'm just hoping to get some awareness for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and educate individuals, educate the community and educate the public on what these children go through on a daily basis,” she said.

This story has been updated to add a video.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on Paste BN's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.