Heartbroken Parents Forced to Disconnect Life Support from 13-Year-Old Daughter After Sleepover Tragedy

Esra Haynes, a vibrant 13-year-old girl, tragically lost her life after a sleepover incident, leaving her parents to make the heartbreaking decision to disconnect her life support. They are now sharing their story to prevent others from experiencing a similar tragedy.

**Esra’s Life and Sudden Tragedy**

Esra was a determined, fun, cheeky, and talented athlete, praised by her Montrose Football Netball Club teammates. She led a healthy, active life, excelling in BMX racing and national aerobics. However, her promising future was cut short on March 31 during a sleepover, where she succumbed to a dangerous viral trend known as chroming. This involves inhaling toxic chemicals to get high.

**The Fatal Night**

At a friend’s house, Esra inhaled aerosol deodorant, which led to cardiac arrest and irreversible brain damage. Her parents, Andrea and Paul Haynes, shared their devastating experience on *A Current Affair* with host Ally Langdon, highlighting the fatal consequences of chroming to raise awareness and protect other young people.

**The Unfolding Nightmare**

Andrea recalled the routine nature of Esra’s sleepover plans. “It was just the regular routine of going to hang out with her mates,” she said. Paul added, “We always knew where she was and who she was with. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary… To get this phone call at that time of night, it was one of the calls no parent ever wants to receive: ‘Come and get your daughter.’”

Initially, Esra’s friends mistook her severe condition for a panic attack, unaware she was in cardiac arrest. Langdon explained that after inhaling deodorant, Esra’s body shut down. When Andrea arrived, paramedics were trying to revive her daughter and revealed that Esra had been chroming, a term Andrea had never heard before.

**A Heartbreaking Goodbye**

Esra was rushed to the hospital and placed on life support, but doctors soon informed her parents that her brain damage was irreversible. Faced with no options, Andrea and Paul called family members to say their final goodbyes. “It was a very, very difficult thing to do to such a young soul,” Andrea said. “We cuddled her until the end.”

Esra’s siblings, Imogen, Seth, and Charlie, have been deeply affected by her loss. Paul described the period as “the most difficult, traumatic time any parent could go through,” adding that the community has also been profoundly impacted.

**A Call for Awareness**

In the wake of Esra’s death, Andrea and Paul are determined to end the chroming trend that took their daughter’s life. Paul emphasized the importance of awareness: “If we were educated and the word had been put out there, we would have had the discussion around our kitchen table for sure.”

They urge for increased education and direct communication with children about the dangers of chroming, rather than relying on friends or social media. Esra is not the first victim; chroming has caused numerous fatalities over the years due to seizures, heart attacks, suffocation, sudden sniffing death, comas, and organ failure.

**A Lasting Impact**

Paul shared the lasting trauma: “We’ve got the pictures in our mind which will never be erased, of what we were confronted with. Our gut was ripped out.” The Haynes family’s story serves as a sobering reminder of the real and devastating consequences of dangerous viral trends.

**Support and Solidarity**

The community’s support and a GoFundMe campaign aim to help the family during this difficult time. Andrea and Paul hope their story will save other families from similar heartbreak.

Please share this important message with your loved ones to raise awareness and help prevent further tragedies.