Australian journalist Ally Langdon spoke with a distraught mother and father who had to make the unbelievably tough decision to end the life of their cherished 13-year-old daughter in a heartbreaking interview in which she found it impossible to contain her grief. This tragic story highlights the horrific effects of the increasingly common harmful “chroming” practise, which took the life of a young, gifted athlete.
During a segment of “A Current Affair,” Andrea and Paul Haynes courageously related the heartbreaking tale of their daughter Esra Haynes, who tragically passed away after engaging in the dangerous activity known as “chroming,” which involves inhaling hazardous chemicals and has gained a spooky following on social media.
Teammates characterised Esra as “determined, fun, cheeky, and talented.” She was a gifted young athlete who co-captained the Montrose Football Netball Club and raced BMX bikes with her siblings. In Queensland, she had even guided her squad to a national championship in aerobics.
Sadly, on March 31, Esra went to a friend’s sleepover and breathed in the fumes from an aerosol deodorant can in an attempt to get a deadly high. This careless decision resulted in irreversible brain damage and heart arrest.
“She was simply going to hang out with her friends on a regular basis,” her mother Andrea said in the interview. Paul, her father, continued, “We were always aware of her whereabouts and companions. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence.We regretfully received the call, which said, “Come and fetch your daughter,” at that time of night. It was one of the calls that no parent ever wishes to receive.”
At first, Esra’s friends didn’t realise she was in serious danger and thought she was just having a panic attack. Langdon disclosed that “after inhaling deodorant, her body was actually starting to shut down, she was in cardiac arrest, and no one at the sleepover recognised it.”
While efforts were underway to resuscitate her daughter, Andrea, Esra’s mother, came on the scene. At that moment, Andrea learned the terrible reality from the paramedics: Esra had been “chroming,” a term she had never heard of.
After Esra was taken to the hospital right away, her family hoped that their cherished daughter would recover completely. She had a robust heart and sound lungs, so maybe she could make it through this experience.
Following eight excruciating days on life support, Paul and Andrea were forced to face the terrible truth: Esra’s brain injury was irreversible, and they had to make the difficult decision to take her off of life support.
The Haynes parents, unable to find words in the midst of their immense sadness, described the anguish of having to make the painful decision to say their final goodbyes to their beloved daughter during their interview.
“It was a very, very difficult thing to do to such a young soul,” Paul said. We lay with her when she was placed on a bed. We gave her lots of cuddles right up until the very end.”
Even though Ally Langdon is a mother of two, she was overcome with emotion and started crying when she saw the family’s anguish.
Esra passed away in the first part of April, leaving her siblings, Imogen, Seth, and Charlie, utterly devastated. “It’s been the most difficult, traumatic time any parent could go through,” Paul said while describing the aftermath. We aren’t the same people we used to be since we haven’t been eating, sleeping, or smiling.But the community has also been impacted, not just us.”
Paul and Andrea, who were unaware of the risks associated with “chroming” until their daughter’s death, are now determined to spread the word about this dangerous viral trend that is becoming more and more popular among teenagers and dangerously simple to participate in with easily accessible materials like paint, hairspray, deodorant, or even permanent markers.
Paul said how much he regretted not learning about “chroming” when Esra was still alive and how it would have sparked an important discussion at their kitchen table: “If we were educated and the word had been put out there, we would have had the discussion around our kitchen table for sure.”
In order to safeguard and possibly even save the lives of their children, he emphasised the significance of educating parents. “Parents should sit down and converse with their kids, starting a conversation with them in a gentle manner. To be sure, we had no idea what was happening.
Sadly, the concerning “chroming” practise has resulted in the deaths of multiple children in Australia and other countries since 2009. This dangerous habit, which can cause asphyxia, heart attacks, seizures, organ failure, and even abrupt death, has become more and more common among young people looking for an instant high.
Paul told Langdon the unforgettable memories of their tragic experience, adding, “We have the pictures in our minds that we will never be able to erase of what we were faced with.” Our stomach was torn out.”
It is impossible to imagine the unbearable anguish and agony families go through when they must make the difficult decision to take their kid off life support. During this extremely trying time, our thoughts and prayers are with the Haynes family and the rest of Esra’s surviving family. Tell others about this tale to raise awareness of the risks associated with the “chroming” craze and to assist parents in shielding their kids from its disastrous effects.