After their 13-year-old daughter, Esra Haynes, died from inhaling toxic chemicals in a dangerous viral trend called “chroming,” her parents are speaking out to raise awareness and prevent further tragedies.
The Haynes family is mourning the loss of their 13-year-old daughter, Esra, who tragically passed away after inhaling aerosol deodorant in an attempt to get high—a dangerous trend known as “chroming.” In an emotional interview with A Current Affair host Ally Langdon, Esra’s parents, Andrea and Paul, shared the devastating details of how they were forced to make the unbearable decision to turn off their daughter’s life support after she suffered irreparable brain damage.
Esra, who was described by her local community as “determined, fun, cheeky, and talented,” had been looking forward to a sleepover with friends. But on March 31, during that sleepover, she inhaled the deodorant, which led to her going into cardiac arrest. Despite paramedics’ efforts to revive her, Esra’s brain had been severely damaged, and after eight days on life support, her parents were told there was no hope for her recovery.
The family was unaware of the dangers of chroming until that fateful night. “We never knew what chroming was,” Paul Haynes told Langdon. “If we had known, we would have had the conversation with her about it.”
Tragically, Esra’s death is not an isolated incident. The viral trend of chroming—where teens inhale chemicals from everyday products like deodorant, paint, or hairspray to get high—has been linked to numerous deaths worldwide. The high is short-lived but incredibly dangerous, often resulting in seizures, heart attacks, suffocation, and even sudden sniffing death.
In the wake of Esra’s death, her parents are now on a mission to raise awareness about the dangers of chroming, hoping that by educating other parents and children, they can prevent similar tragedies. “We need to ramp up the conversation. We need parents to talk to their children and educate them about this dangerous trend,” Paul explained. “We didn’t know what was going on, but now we want to make sure other families do.”
The Haynes family’s story has prompted a wider conversation about the importance of discussing the dangers of chroming with young people. Since 2009, many young people in Australia and around the world have died from chroming, and it’s clear that more needs to be done to educate teens about the risks associated with this trend.
“We’ll never forget what we had to go through,” Paul shared. “The pictures of what we saw will stay with us forever. Our hearts are broken, and we don’t want anyone else to have to go through what we did.”
