Mum issues urgent warning to parents about ‘cruel’ social media challenge after daughter collapses after inhaling 6 aerosol cans – after boy, 11, dies
A mother has issued an urgent warning to parents about the “chroming challenge” after she feared her daughter would die when she became ‘violently ill’ after trying the dangerous social media trend.
Mikayla Solomon, from Rochester, Kent, feared she would lose her daughter when she and a friend inhaled ‘five or six’ aerosol cans after hearing about the trend known as ‘chroming’.
She said 12-year-old Teigan and her friend got their hands on the cans from her home and two other houses in the neighborhood.
The word ‘chroming’ is an informal word originating in Australia. It involves inhaling fumes from a toxic source, such as an aerosol can, a spray deodorant, or a paint can.
When the inhalers are abused, they affect the central nervous system and slow down brain activity, resulting in a short-term ‘high’.
Teigan, 12, and her friend inhaled ‘five or six’ aerosol cans after allegedly hearing about the trend known as ‘chroming’ in early March
Teigan is pictured in hospital after attempting the dangerous social media challenge ‘chroming’
Mikayla Solomon was worried about her 12-year-old daughter (both pictured) and immediately took her to the emergency room
11-year-old boy named Tommie-Lee Billington died after inhaling toxic chemicals around the same time Teigan attempted the dangerous challenge
The dangerous tendency can result in slurred speech, dizziness, hallucinations, nausea and disorientation, but can also cause a heart attack or suffocation.
Mikayla feels ‘grateful’ that her daughter’s symptoms were not more severe – and urged other parents to remain aware of this ‘dangerous’ challenge.
She said: ‘I just feel so grateful it wasn’t worse. She could easily have gone into cardiac arrest. I could have easily lost my daughter that day.
‘After it happened I saw that a little boy had died from it and a girl had been in intensive care, it’s scary.
‘I’m worried about long-term damage. I’ve read things like it can cause cognitive impairment and memory loss. It is worrying.
‘She’s 12 so she shouldn’t really be on (social media) but all their friends are so they’re going to see these trends but (the platforms) need to crack down on it. Social media affects our children so much. Parents need to know the dangers.
‘It’s a really dangerous trend. If you think your child has done this, get it checked – it can cause long-term damage.’
The 37-year-old rushed her daughter Teigan to A&E at Medway Maritime Hospital in Kent after she discovered she had inhaled the cans with a friend at an accommodation ‘for a laugh’.
The concerned mum-of-two said Teigan complained of heart palpitations and dizziness hours after inhaling the fumes.
Mikayla feels ‘grateful’ that her daughter’s symptoms were not more severe – and urged other parents to remain aware of this ‘dangerous’ challenge. Above: Teigan and her mother
Mikayla said 12-year-old Teigan and her friend got their hands on the cans from her home and two neighbors’ houses
The mother said her daughter was still not feeling well in the days following the incident – confusing doctors as to the cause of her symptoms
Mikayla said her daughter had heart palpitations and was constantly sick
Despite receiving the statement from doctors, Mikayla said Teigan vomited continuously for 12 days – and fears the incident may have left long-term damage.
Mikayla said: ‘I didn’t really know what she had done but my older daughter said Teigan had inhaled deodorant. I had no real idea what that meant.
“There were five or six deodorant cans between the two of them. They had taken the cans from mine, a neighbor and another neighbor.
‘When I found out I thought I should get her checked. She apologized and said she just wanted to do it to make her laugh and didn’t really think about the consequences.
‘She thought it would just make her and her friend laugh. She said her heart was palpitating.’
The supermarket’s team leader drove Teigan to hospital where she underwent several tests. Fortunately, everything returned to normal.
However, she said her daughter was still not well in the days following the incident – confusing doctors as to the cause of her symptoms.
The mother, who also has an 18-year-old daughter named Jaymee-Leigh, said: ‘Teigan was really not well after coming home. She was constantly ill. She said she felt like everything was in slow motion and delayed.
‘I didn’t really know what to think – I didn’t know if she was making it up. I told her she could be dead. The doctors talked to her and I think it scared her.
‘She slept in my bed that night and I could hear her wheezing. She still wasn’t feeling well. I thought this trend might have caused damage. She was sick and had diarrhea.
‘I thought it would be resolved after a few days but she was still sick. She was sick every day for 12 days, if it was a bug it would be gone in 24 hours.
And she kept burping sulfur-like belches that were really airy and I really think it was related to the deodorant cans.
Mikayla is pictured with her two daughters Teigan and Jaymee-Leigh
The mother (pictured with both her daughters) urged other parents to act quickly if they suspect their child has taken part in the dangerous challenge
The mother (pictured with both her daughters) said she was worried about long-term damage
‘We went back to the A&E and they weren’t sure what was wrong with her.’
In early March, around the same time Teigan was trying to “chrome,” an 11-year-old boy named Tommie-Lee Billington died after inhaling toxic chemicals.
Lancashire Police were called to the scene by the North West Ambulance Service. He was transferred to the hospital but was later pronounced dead.
His family blamed it on the online craze and called on social media giants to take action.
His grandmother Tina claimed Tommie-Lee ‘died instantly’ and the family now want social media to be banned for children under 16.
“This breaks us all, but we want to help save other children’s lives and give families awareness to keep their children safe,” she told the Lancashire Post at the time.