A 13-year-old girl from Melbourne tragically lost her life while participating in a social media trend known as “chroming,” prompting her family to call for action to prevent further deaths.
The teenager, Esra Haynes, engaged in the chroming trend, which involves inhaling substances like petrol, metallic paints, chemicals from aerosol cans, and solvents to experience a quick high. The incident occurred during a sleepover on March 31, according to News.com.au.
Reports suggest that Esra may have used a deodorant during the chroming activity. Unfortunately, she suffered a cardiac arrest and was placed on life support for eight days. Doctors determined that her brain had sustained irreparable damage. Subsequently, her family made the difficult decision to remove her from life support.
Esra’s parents, Paul and Andrea Haynes, along with her older siblings Imogen, Seth, and Charlie, remained by her side until the end, as reported by Australian media outlets.
This tragic incident is not the first time Australian teenagers have fallen victim to chroming. In 2019, two 16-year-old boys lost their lives after participating in the trend, and another teenage girl suffered brain damage due to chroming.
Following Esra’s death, the Victorian Education Department expressed its commitment to providing children with more knowledge about chroming and its deadly consequences. The grieving parents aim to raise awareness about such dangerous social media trends.
They admitted that they were unaware of chroming until they received the devastating call informing them of their daughter’s hospitalization.
The parents urge children and teenagers to avoid repeating the same mistakes made by Esra. Paul Haynes stated, “We want to help other children not fall into the silly trap of doing this silly thing. It’s unquestionable that this will be our crusade.” He added that Esra would not have engaged in chroming on her own and emphasized the importance of guiding and protecting young individuals.
Furthermore, the parents advocate for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to be taught as a compulsory lesson in schools. They also call for the formulation of deodorants to be made less toxic and safer.
According to the American Addiction Centres, chroming is particularly popular among younger individuals who do not have access to other drugs.
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