A dangerous trend where teenagers use household detergents to become intoxicated has claimed the life of a teen, leaving her parents adamant about awareness.
The practice, known as ‘dusting,’ ‘chroming’ or ‘huffing’ entails the inhalation aerosol. This fad has gathered impetus among children on social media despite the fact that it is responsible for a string of hospitalizations and funerals.
Highlights
- Nineteen-year-old Renna O’Rourke passed away after inhaling keyboard cleaner.
- She spent seven days in the ICU before being declared brain dead.
- Her parents are now determined to raise awareness.
Renna O'Rourke became a statistic when she passed away on Sunday, June 1, at 1:30 am.
The misused substance that took her life was a keyboard cleaner that she ordered right to her house in Arizona.
Renna spent seven days in a coma before passing away
Image credits: Aaron O'Rourke
Nineteen-year-old Renna had a heart attack when she inhaled the noxious fumes and landed in the intensive care.
She spent seven days there before she slipped into an irreversible coma and lost her life. Up until that point, her parents had never heard of the trend.
Dr. Randy Weisman who heads up the Intensive Care Unit at the HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center was cited by the Arizona’s Family news outlet.
He dubbed the trend as “extremely concerning” and noted:
“When they inhale these chemicals in the gas it will actually replace the oxygen within their lungs and within the rest of their body.”
“She’s not the only one that this has happened to.”
Image credits: Aaron O'Rourke
Weissman explained that 'huffing' makes the user feel drunk for a few seconds by replacing the oxygen in their lungs and other parts of their bodies.
While those who survived the challenge may speak of feelings of euphoria, just a small “huff” can cause damage to the “liver, heart failure [and] disease of the lungs.”
“She’s not the only one that this has happened to. Several other teenagers have succumbed to this same disorder,” Weismann confirmed.
“We don’t have children to bury them.”
Image credits: Aaron O'Rourke
Speaking to the Arizona Family outlet, Renna’s mother, Dana, remembered Renna as “vivacious and caring and loyal.”
“She always said, ‘I’m gonna be famous, Dad. Just you watch. I’m gonna be famous’ and unfortunately this is not under the most optimal of circumstances,” recounted her father, Aaron
“We don’t have children to bury them,” Dana Lamented.
“She gave so much to so many in her short time here and went out the same way.”
Image credits: Aaron O'Rourke
But the O’Rourkes will not stop at mourning their daughter. They are determined to spread the word about this fatal practice so that other families do not need to endure “the same pain.”
They are encouraging parents to police the children vigorously.
“Don’t take your kids word for it. Dig deep. Search their rooms. Don’t trust and that sounds horrible, but it could save their life.”
The couple is advocating for stricter laws
Image credits: Aaron O'Rourke
They have since opened a GoFundMe account for Renna where only some of the funds will go to her medical and funeral fees.
“We want to use the proceeds of this fundraiser to cover the extensive medical bills, burial costs, therapy costs, and to spread awareness about the dangers of Huffing/Dusting, the practice of inhaling keyboard cleaner or similar,” the page titled “Love and Legacy for Renna” reads.
The fundraiser goes on to say that the couple were working on a way to spread the word through television and lobbying for stricter laws.
The O’Rourkes have since accumulated $10,806 from a total of 161 donors—doubling their goal of $5,000.
“Retarded fads” on social media are responsible for the child’s demise
Image credits: Aaron O'Rourke
Reacting to the news, one commenter wrote: “Guess I’m not in the in crowd anymore. What is dusting?”
Another blamed content creators for “retarded fads.”
“How do these people not realize that the people watching them are usually only there to see Self Destruction NOT to Actually Support the Content Creator?”
Those who lost children were more understanding.
One of them wrote: “Prayers for the family. As a man who has lost 2 sons I know the great pain they are feeling.”
For many, Renna's passing highlights the deadly side of social media
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