Esra Haynes had participated in a trend called ‘chroming’ which involves inhaling substances to experience a quick high. — Photos: IMOGEN_HAYNES_/Instagram/ST
The family of a 13-year-old girl in Melbourne who died after attempting a social media trend are calling for more action to prevent similar deaths.
Esra Haynes had participated in a trend called “chroming”. It involves inhaling substances such as metallic paints, solvents, petrol and chemicals from aerosol cans to experience a quick high.
The incident occurred during a sleepover on March 31, according to News.com.au, and Esra had used a deodorant can.
Esra went into cardiac arrest and was on life support for eight days when doctors said “her brain was damaged beyond repair”. Her family then decided to turn off the machines.
The teenager’s parents Paul and Andrea Haynes as well as her older siblings Imogen, Seth and Charlie “cuddled her until the end”, according to Australian media.
This is not the first time Australian teenagers have died after trying “chroming”.
Since 2019, two 16-year-old boys have died after participating in the trend. Another teenage girl suffered brain damage.
After Esra’s death, the Victorian Education Department said it is increasing its efforts to provide children with more information about chroming and its deadly side effects.
Mr and Mrs Haynes are also on a mission to raise awareness about such dangerous trends.
They said they had no idea what “chroming” was until they received a call to say their daughter had been taken to hospital because of it.
Mr and Mrs Haynes are urging children and teenagers not to repeat the same mistake their daughter made.
“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,” Mr Haynes told the Herald Sun.
“No matter how much you lead a horse to water, anyone can drag them away. It’s not something she would have done on her own,” he added.
The parents are also calling for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, to be a compulsory lesson in schools, as well as for deodorant formula to be made safer and less toxic. – The Straits Times (Singapore)/Asia News Network
