The parents of the 11-year-old who tragically died from puffing toxic chemicals are desperate to raise awareness of the dangerous "chroming" trend.
As reported by The Mirror, a boy named Tommie-Lee Gracie Billington was found unresponsive at a friend's house in Lancaster, England on March 2. He suffered a suspected cardiac arrest and was rushed to the hospital. Sadly, medics were unable to save him.
Lancashire Police have stated that his death is currently "unexplained," however, Tommie-Lee's heartbroken grandmother, Tina Burns, has claimed that her grandson passed away after taking part in the viral trend called "chroming".
"He died instantly after a sleepover at a friend's house," she said. "The boys had tried the TikTok craze 'chroming'. Tommie-Lee went into cardiac arrest immediately and died right there and then. The hospital did everything to try and bring him back but nothing worked. He was gone."
What is chroming?
Chroming is a dangerous and sometimes even fatal trend, particularly among young kids - where chemicals in aerosol cans are inhaled for a temporary high.
The methods used include huffing, which involves putting the chemicals on a cloth and holding it over the mouth and nose to inhale, bagging involves inhaling the substances from a bag, sniffing or snorting directly from the container, and spraying the chemicals directly into the nose or mouth.
One of the most well-known methods is inhaling nitrous oxide - which is most commonly referred to as laughing gas. Nitrous oxide is usually sold in single-use canisters, which are then disseminated into balloons and inhaled, but in certain countries, it can be prohibited to use recreationally.
The American Addiction Center says chroming is more prevalent among younger people who have no access to other drugs. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health also discovered that in the US, around half a million people using inhalants were between the ages of 12 and 17.
What are the effects of chroming?
The Journal of Drug and Alcohol Research explained that while some people look for a temporary high, the side effects of chroming can include, nausea, dizziness, slurred speech, vomiting, and disorientation.
These could sometimes be short-lived, but the viral craze can also result in more life-threatening complications - such as cardiac arrest, suffocation, coma, seizures, and even choking.
The report also detailed that long-term abuse of these inhalants can lead to cognitive decline.
The late boy's grandma said the family is calling on the social media platform to do more to protect children.
"Both our families are utterly devastated but we all want the same thing. We don't want any other children to follow TikTok or be on social media," she said. "In fact, we want to get TikTok taken down and no children to be allowed on any social media under 16 years of age."
"This is breaking us all but we want to help save other children's lives and give families awareness to keep their children safe. I have had so many messages from parents thanking me for making them aware," Tina added.
Tommie-Lee's bereaved mom Sherri has also urged parents to "hide all deodorants from their children" so they are unable to take part in chroming,
"As much as I hate talking about it, I need to raise awareness of what kids are trying nowadays. Please, please, please hide all deodorants from your children," she penned. "This cost my son his life from trying something other kids are doing. They are using this and breathing them in to try get a buzz."
A GoFundMe page has been set up in memory of Tommie-Lee, and as of this writing, over $5K has been raised, exceeding the $3,000 target.
The donations raised will go towards the funeral costs such as horses and carriage, flowers, and reception. Speaking about the support the family has received, Tina said: "We have loads of friends that are doing raffles etc. The support that we are receiving is truly amazing and we are so very grateful."
Our thoughts are with Tommie-Lee's family at this devastating time.
