The heartbroken parents of a teenage girl who died after taking part in a chroming trend have issued a warning to others.
Esra Haynes, 13, was at a sleepover in Melbourne, Australia, in March 2023 when tragedy unfolded.
The teen’s parents, Andrea and Paul, told A Current Affair: “It was just the regular routine of going to hang out with her mates.
“We always knew where she was and we knew who she was with. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.”
On the night of the sleepover, Esra’s parent would receive a phone call telling them to pick up their daughter.
The teen was rushed to hospital in an unresponsive state and placed on life support. She would spend a week and a half fighting for her life.
Initially, Esra’s parents were optimistic she would recover until devastatingly, doctors said ‘her brain was damaged beyond repair.’
The family would make the heartbreaking decision to turn off the 13-year-old’s life support.
In the parents’ interview with Ally Langdon on A Current Affair, Paul said: “They’re asking us to bring a family, friends to say goodbye to our 13-year-old daughter.
“It was a very, very difficult thing to do to such a young soul.”
Esra’s parents and siblings ‘cuddled her until the end.’
Esra’s family is now warning others of the dangers of chroming.
“It’s unquestionable that this will be our crusade,” Paul informs 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.”
Imogen tells 7News: “We definitely have a mission to raise awareness for kids and anyone that does it.
“We don’t want that to happen to anyone else. We don’t want another family to go through this, it’s absolutely horrible.”
Haynes’ brother, Seth, adds: “I just want to put awareness out there that it can happen very quickly, and we don’t want to lose any more amazing people.”
Haynes’ cause of death has been confirmed to be from chroming – a trend that involves inhaling toxic chemicals.
Chroming, also called solvent abuse, is when a person gets high from breathing in or inhaling a chemical like glue or solvent, as per Care In Mind.
Although people of all ages engage in the trend, it’s most common among young adults and teenagers.
The immediate effects of chroming include tiredness or drowsiness, vomiting, dizziness, confusion or giddiness, feeling more relaxed or on edge, losing coordination, loss of inhibition, ringing in your ears, slurred speech, coughing or sneezing, eyes that are glazed, red or watery, and a running or bleeding nose.