Mum explains horrifying dangers of ‘chroming’ after son nearly died
Warning: This article contains content and images that some readers may find upsetting
A mum has explained the horrific dangers of the viral trend 'chroming' which left her son in a critical condition.
Gen Z are known for their viral TikTok trends that see young people all over the world try to re-create different challenges.
But what happens when the trends are actually life-threatening without kids realising?
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One mum who can tell you all about that experience is Nichola King, who was horrified to find her 12-year-old son Cesar on the floor with his eyes rolling to the back of his head.
The online challenge he had taken part in is called 'chroming', and the mum-of-four is now warning other parents to be aware.
As part of the trend, people are encouraged to inhale toxic fumes to get high from substances.
This can include paint thinners, aerosol cans, glue and detergent.
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.
Explaining the dangers, she said: "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.”
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.
"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.”
After spending eight days in hospital, he can now breathe on his own as well as walk and talk again.
Sharing her advice with 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."
Mia Williams