Australian Ally Langdon could not conceal her anguish when she spoke with a mother and father who were forced to make the difficult choice to end the life of the small child they had given birth to just 13 years before.
Langdon, also a mother, tried to contain her tears as she saw the small girl die after succumbing to the chroming trend that had gone popular.
On A Current Affair with host Ally Langdon, Andrea, and Paul Haynes spoke about how their 13-year-old daughter Esra Haynes passed away after partaking in the dangerous chemical inhalation craze known as “chroming,” popular on social media.
Esra, a young athlete who raced BMX bikes with her siblings and co-captained the Montrose Football Netball Club, was described as “determined, fun, cheeky, and talented” by her teammates. Esra also led her team to a national aerobics championship in Queensland.
On March 31, Esra went to a friend’s house for a sleepover and, seeking a lethal high, sniffed an aerosol deodorant can. As a result, she suffered cardiac arrest and permanent brain damage.
Her mother, Andrea, told Langdon in the interview, “It was just the routine of hanging out with her friends.” Paul continued that we always knew where and who she was with. There was nothing unusual about it. We regrettably received the call saying, “Come and get your daughter,” which is one of the calls no parent ever wants to make at that night’s hour.
According to Langdon, Esra’s companions believed her to be experiencing a panic attack, “but after inhaling deodorant, her body was starting to shut down, she was in cardiac arrest, and no one at the sleepover knew what a cardiac arrest looks like.”
Esra was being revived when Andrea arrived at her side, and the paramedics informed her mother that her daughter had been chroming, which she had never heard of before.
Esra was rushed to the hospital with the belief that their infant daughter would make a full recovery. After all, she had a powerful heart and lungs, so perhaps she would survive.
Esra’s brain injury was “beyond repair,” according to Paul and Andrea, and they had to decide to turn off the machine after eight days on life support.
Her parents described the suffering of taking their daughter’s life while having trouble speaking and recalling their saddest day.
Esra’s father admitted it was extremely tough to say goodbye to such a youthful soul when asked to bring relatives and friends to the hospital for farewells. So that we could lay with her, she was placed on a bed. We held her close until the last end.
Langdon, the mother of two young children, lost control of her emotions and started crying because of the parents’ grief.
Paul claims that following Esra’s death in the first week of April, Imogen, Seth, and Charlie are “shattered,” and the entire family is “broken.”
Paul added that it was just terrible for everyone concerned, including her friends. It has been the most challenging and terrible time for any parent. We haven’t been sleeping, eating, smiling, or acting like ourselves. But the community is also affected, not just us.
Having never heard of chroming until it murdered their daughter, Paul and his wife are now on a mission to raise awareness of the fatal viral trend that is becoming more and more popular among teenagers and is easily accomplished with store-bought materials like deodorant, paint, hairspray, or even permanent markers.
In an interview with a local news outlet, Paul expressed regret for not being aware of chroming when Esra was still alive and might have informed her of the risks: If we had been told and the information had been spread, we undoubtedly would have discussed it around our kitchen table.
“We need to step it up and let these kids learn the information directly from the source rather than through friends or social media-then. They’ll receive the right advice from the get-go.”
Paul wants to educate parents so that they can better their kids’ lives and perhaps even save them.
“Parents need to get down, talk to their kids, and gently start the conversation with them. Without a doubt, we had no idea what was happening.”
Numerous children have died in Australia and other parts of the world since 2009 due to the worrying chroming trend.
Chroming, which can cause organ failure, seizures, heart attacks, suffocation, and abrupt smelling death, is popular among young people as a quick fix for getting high.
Paul told Langdon, “We have the images in our minds that will never be erased, you know, of what we were confronted with. “Our insides were torn out.”
We cannot fathom the suffering a family may experience while deciding to remove their little kid from life support. Our thoughts and prayers are with Esra’s surviving and Haynes family members.
By alerting parents about the risks associated with this terrible trend, you may help them save their children’s lives by sharing this story with everyone you know.