by India Today World DeskFollowing the death of 13-year-old Australian girl Esra Haynes due to the “chroming” trend on TikTok, her grieving family is calling for urgent action to stop such incidents in the country.
Esra’s father Paul Haynes said during an emotional interview with the Herald Sun, “We want to help other children not fall into the silly trap of doing this silly thing. It’s undeniable that this will be our crusade.”
He said, “It doesn’t matter how much you get a horse into the water, anybody can pull them. It’s not something he would have done on his own.”
Esra Haynes lost her life when she inhaled fumes from a deodorant can, causing her to experience cardiac arrest on March 31.
Despite being kept on life support for eight days, doctors eventually declared his brain “damaged beyond repair”. In a heartbreaking decision, her family made the painful choice of turning off the life-support machines.
,[It was] “It’s just a regular routine going out with my mates,” shared grieving mother Andrea Haynes during an interview with Australian news program A Current Affair.
“They’re asking us to bring our family, our friends to say goodbye to our 13-year-old daughter,” said Paul Haynes, struggling to find words to describe the unimaginable pain. “It was a very, very, very difficult task for such a young soul.”
The development of the long-standing trend of chroming, huffing or sniffing substances, has become a matter of grave concern. Participants in this dangerous practice breathe in a wide range of substances, including aerosol cans, metal paints, gases and solvents.
While chroming involves a variety of substances, according to the National Retail Association, the name originated as a means of getting chrome-based paint high.
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The Straits Times reported that in 2019 two 16-year-old boys lost their lives due to engaging in this dangerous practice.
Following the tragic death of Esra Haynes, the Victoria Department of Education in Australia has pledged to ramp up its efforts to provide children with more comprehensive information about chroming and its deadly consequences.
In their grieving process, Haynes’ parents have taken on a mission to advocate for schools to teach CPR and are actively lobbying for the development of safer and less toxic deodorant formulas.
“We definitely have a mission to raise awareness for children and anyone who can do this,” expressed Esra’s sister, Imogen, during a press conference. “We don’t want this to happen to anyone else. We don’t want another family to go through this. It’s absolutely horrible.”
In response to the alarming trend, several stores in Australia, including Woolworths and Coles, have taken preventive measures by securing aerosol deodorant behind locked glass cases, as reported by People.
The tragic loss of Esra Haynes has become a rallying cry for urgent action against the dangerous practice of chroming. With grieving parents at the forefront of the fight, it is hoped that their passionate advocacy will lead to widespread awareness, education and preventive measures to save other families from suffering the devastating consequences of this deadly trend.