Two parents in Australia are speaking out about the dangers of "chroming" after the death of their 13-year-old daughter.
Social media's presence is pervasive and ever-growing in society. With a simple click of an icon on an iPhone or Android, people can be on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok. Those sites, filled with the latest news, gossip and trends, literally rest in the palm of our hands.
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As helpful as those sites can be, to impressionable young people hoping to accumulate likes, followers and retweets, they can be deadly. For one young woman, 13-year-old Esra Haynes, trying a dangerous and growing social media trend resulted in her death, according to The New York Post.
The young woman was at a sleepover when she tried chroming, which is inhaling chemicals from an aerosol can to get high, according to A Current Affair.
Paul and Andrea Haynes recall the moment that they received that devastating notification about their child.
"To get this phone call, that time at night was, was one of them calls no parent ever wants to have to receive," Paul said. "And we, unfortunately, got that call. ‘Come and get your daughter.'"
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After inhaling deodorant from an aerosol can, the teenager experienced cardiac arrest. Esra was rushed to the hospital in an unresponsive state.
Doctors informed the family her "brain was damaged beyond repair” eight days later, according to The New York Post. Her family made the heart-wrenching decision to say goodbye, opting not to keep her alive using medical devices.
Esra’s Parents Are Speaking Out About Changes They Hope To See Following Their Daughter’s Death
However, as grief-stricken as the family is over the loss of their daughter and sister, Esra's parents are speaking out.
They want others to be aware of the dangers associated with chroming.
"Kids don't look beyond the next day," Paul said. "They really don't and, especially, not knowing how it can affect them. Esra would have never done this if she would have known the consequences."
The family now hopes that every child will be taught CPR at school. Also, they want deodorant cans augmented to make them less dangerous.
"To me, that's a pistol sitting on a shelf," Paul said. "We need the manufacturers to step up and really change the formulation or the propellants."
Esra's parents are now on a mission following the loss of their daughter. They have some things they are seeking to change and accomplish.
“Her name meant helper, so that’s what we’re here to do,” Paul said.
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"Once aerosols have been changed, and I think once the first-aid training has been implemented through nationally, through every school, and that every child is trained every two years," Paul said.
He also added they want social media sites to monitor their platforms more closely.
"And also, we would like, I know it's a harder push, but the social media to really lock down on the loopholes these kids can get onto there and being showed adult content," he said.
May the God of peace and comfort be with these parents and this family during this time of grief and loss.
"But don't forget to be doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." – Hebrews 13:16
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h/t: The New York Post & YouTube.com/A Current Affair
Featured Image Credit: YouTube.com/ A Current Affair