Mum issues horrifying warning after son nearly dies following ‘chroming’ challenge
Kya Buller
Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News and Media
Warning: This article contains content and images that some readers may find upsetting
A mum has shared an urgent warning after her son fell victim to a viral 'chroming' trend online.
Mum of four Nichola King was distraught when she found her 12-year-old son Cesar on the floor with his eyes rolling to the back of his head.
This led to him needing CPR from paramedics as a result of the potentially fatal social media trend.
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'Chroming' is the name given to the practice being carried out by young people on social media of inhaling toxic fumes to get high from substances. This can include paint thinners, aerosol cans, glue and detergent.
It all happened on 21 August - Nichola, from Doncaster, had just finished breastfeeding when she heard a loud thud in her kitchen.
After rushing to investigate, she was shocked beyond belief when she saw her son on the floor.
Cesar was having a seizure and Nichola shouted for help from the rest of her children, who rushed to attempt CPR on the young boy.
Emergency services were called by his brother Kaiden and Cesar was rushed to hospital, where he was placed into a medically induced coma for two days.
He suffered a high amount of seizures and went into cardiac arrest, leaving Nichola terrified for his life.
Disturbing photos shared to raise awareness show Caesar relying on breathing tubes and receiving chest compressions from frantic healthcare professionals.
Luckily Cesar made a total recovery but his experience and injuries are understood to be a result of the damaging chroming trend which can ultimately result in slurred speech, dizziness, hallucinations, nausea and disorientation as well as potential heart attack or death as a result of suffocation.
Nichola recalled: "It was terrifying. He was having a seizure. I ran upstairs to get my phone. I couldn't even unlock my phone to ring an ambulance because my hands were shaking so much so my eldest rang 999.
"I thought he'd fallen over and hit his head. I had no idea what had happened. He went blue and stopped breathing. I thought he'd died.
"I was in complete shock. I'd watched my son die and watched the light go out of his eyes."
She went on to add: "I'd not heard of [chroming] before this. I thought he was going to die.”
Cesar spent eight days in hospital before being discharged. He can now breathe on his own as well as walk and talk again.
Nichola stressed: "We don't know about long-term damage, but his short-term memory is very bad. He couldn't remember what had happened.
"If I hadn't heard something that night, I'd have come downstairs to a dead body the next morning. I've spoken to Cesar and asked him to never do anything like this again.”
The mum also departed advice to children considering chroming, as well as a word advice for fellow parents.
She said: "I'd say to the kids, it's not worth it. It might feel good but it definitely doesn't when you're in the hospital trying to breathe for yourself and the pain you cause to your parents.
"And I want to stress the importance of parents being first-aid trained.
"I think anyone with kids should attend a course as it could be the difference between life and death."