Ally Langdon tears up alongside parents of Esra Haynes, 13, who died after ‘chroming’
Ally Langdon burst into tears as she spoke to the parents of a teenage girl who died after inhaling toxic household chemicals to get high.
13-year-old Esra Haynes went into cardiac arrest after inhaling deodorant during a sleepover in northeastern Melbourne over the Easter long weekend.
Andrea and Paul Haynes told of the nightmarish moment when they received a phone call saying, “Come get your daughter.”
When Andrea arrived at the house, police and paramedics desperately tried to resuscitate her.
Shortly after arriving at the hospital, she was placed on life support, where she would remain until her death eight days later.
Esra (pictured) was a promising athlete and was chosen to captain her soccer team. She scored six times in a match just before the chrome incident.
“We thought we’d take her home,” Andrea said.
“We still had hope, we didn’t think the worst,” said Paul.
Although her parents were optimistic that their little girl would recover, a scan revealed that Esra had suffered irreversible brain damage.
The couple were forced to make the painful decision to cut Esra’s life support and were told to enlist friends and family to say a final goodbye to the teen on her deathbed.
“She was put on a bed so we could lie with her,” said a heartbroken Paul.
“We hugged her until he was gone.”
Mrs. Langdon was visibly overwhelmed by the parents’ memories of their last day with Esra and burst into tears beside them.
A Current Affair’s Ally Langdon (pictured) is in tears as she heard the parents of a 13-year-old girl talk about their daughter’s tragic death from chrome plating
Esra Haynes’s parents were given the decision to put her on life support eight days after suffering irreversible brain damage
The alarming trend of ingestion of chromium-based paint and other household chemicals, including deodorant and even bug spray, has claimed the lives of more than a dozen young Australians since 2009.
Andrea and Paul are now trying to teach children about the consequences of chrome plating and prevent more deaths like Esra’s.
“There is no question that this is going to be our crusade,” Paul told the Announce sun.
“No matter how many times you lead a horse to water, anyone can drag them away. It’s not something she would have done alone.’
Paul said the loss has left their family completely “broken,” with Esra’s three siblings, Imogen, Seth and Charlie “shattered” that she’s gone.
From an early age, Esra showed tremendous promise as an athlete, leading her team to a Queensland national aerobics champion in Year 6.
She also raced BMX bikes alongside her brothers and was voted co-captain of her under-14 netball team.
“Esra was determined, fun, sassy and talented. She will be greatly missed by her teammates, coaches and the wider community of our club,” the Montrose Football Netball Club said in a heartfelt statement.
Her distraught friends describe her as “the only girl who can put a smile on anyone’s face by any means.”
“There hasn’t been a day in the past three years that you haven’t made my day with your contagious laugh and beautiful smile,” her friend Abbey wrote on Facebook in a touching tribute.
“My heart hurts and it doesn’t feel real knowing I have to say goodbye to you Esra. ‘You are so young. You left too early.’
“I keep trying to make you proud. and keep doing the things that made you happy. I love you endlessly and miss you Esra. Rest in paradise my dear.’
Esra’s parents hope her death will serve as a warning to others who may be participating in ‘chrome plating’
Coles, Kmart and Woolworths locked their aerosol products behind a glass screen in the Outback town of Mount Isa in a 2021 trial, where kids as young as seven found them sniffing them
The Victorian Department of Education provides guidance to students and staff.
“Lilydale High School and the Department of Education extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of an eighth grade student who passed away over the weekend,” the ministry said.
“Our hearts go out to the families, community and school affected by this tragic incident and the school will continue to provide necessary support to all affected.”
Part of the reason why chrome plating has become so widespread in various parts of Australia is the ease with which young people can purchase spray cans.
In a 2021 trial, Coles, Kmart and Woolworths enclosed their aerosols behind a glass screen in the Outback town of Mount Isa, where children as young as seven were found to sniff the toxic fumes daily.
The practice is now commonplace in Queensland stores in Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane, Logan and the Gold Coast, as well as many supermarkets in the Northern Territory, WA and SA.
Chrome-based spray paint in all Australian jurisdictions is also restricted to anyone under the age of 18.