Heartbreaking Decision: Parents Forced to End Life Support for 13-Year-Old Daughter After Sleepover Tragedy
Australian broadcaster Ally Langdon struggled to contain her anguish during a heart-wrenching interview with parents who had to make the unimaginable decision to end the life of their 13-year-old daughter. Langdon, herself a mother, was visibly emotional as she listened to Andrea and Paul Haynes recount their devastating experience on “A Current Affair.”
Their daughter, Esra Haynes, fell victim to a dangerous social media trend known as “chroming,” involving the inhalation of chemicals. This reckless practice, popular among teenagers seeking a quick high, tragically ended Esra’s life.
Esra, an avid young athlete and co-captain of her school’s football netball team, had attended a sleepover on March 31. During the sleepover, she inhaled aerosol deodorant, leading to a fatal cardiac arrest and irreversible brain damage. Andrea recalled, “It was just the regular routine of going to hang out with her mates.” Paul added, “We always knew where she was and we knew who she was with. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.”
When Esra’s condition deteriorated, her friends mistook her cardiac arrest for a panic attack. By the time Andrea arrived, paramedics were desperately trying to revive Esra, informing her mother about the chroming incident—a term Andrea had never heard before.
Despite being rushed to the hospital, Esra’s brain damage was too severe. After eight agonizing days on life support, her parents had to make the heart-wrenching decision to let her go. Paul described the sorrowful scene, saying, “It was a very, very difficult thing to do to such a young soul. She was put onto a bed so we could lay with her. We cuddled her until the end.”
Langdon, deeply moved by the Haynes’ grief, could not hold back her tears. The loss of Esra has left a profound impact on her family, with siblings Imogen, Seth, and Charlie, and the entire community reeling from the tragedy. Paul expressed the toll on their lives: “It’s been the most difficult, traumatic time any parent could go through. We haven’t been sleeping, we’ve hardly been eating, we haven’t been smiling—we’re not ourselves.”
Determined to prevent other families from enduring similar pain, Paul and Andrea are now advocating for awareness about chroming. They hope to educate parents and children about the deadly risks associated with this dangerous trend. “If we were educated and the word had been put out there, we would have had the discussion around our kitchen table for sure,” Paul lamented.
He urges parents to have open conversations with their children, stressing the importance of receiving accurate information from reliable sources rather than social media or peers. “We need to ramp it up and let these kids find out the information first-hand, and not through friends, and not through social media—then they’re given the right advice off the bat,” Paul insisted.
Chroming, which can lead to severe health consequences including organ failure, heart attacks, and sudden death, has claimed numerous young lives since 2009. The Haynes family’s tragic story serves as a stark reminder of the dangers lurking in seemingly innocent household products.
As the Haynes family navigates their profound loss, they remain committed to raising awareness and preventing further tragedies. By sharing Esra’s story, they hope to save lives and spare other families from the unimaginable grief they are enduring.
Our hearts go out to the Haynes family. Please share this story to help spread awareness about the deadly risks of chroming and potentially save lives.
