Ally Langdon breaks down in tears over 13-year-old life support patient
Ally Langdon has broken down in tears while hearing the heart-breaking story of 13-year-old Esra Haynes.
The A Current Affair host was joined by Esra’s parents, who shared that their daughter had fallen victim to the dangerous practice of “chroming”.
Chroming is when a person inhales solvents or other household chemicals, or aerosol deodorant in Esra’s case, to get high.
Esra’s parents, Paul and Andrea, recalled receiving a phone call while their daughter was at a sleepover that changed their lives forever.
Over the Easter long weekend, the teenager had gone into cardiac arrest as a call was made to the parents to “Come and get your daughter”.
When Andrea arrived at the home, police and paramedics were trying to resuscitate the teen before she was taken to hospital and placed on life support.
Just eight days later, Esra passed away.
“We thought we would bring her home,” Andrea told Langdon.
“We still had hope, we did not think the worst,” Paul said.
Although her parents were optimistic their little girl would recover, a scan revealed Esra had sustained irreparable brain damage from the dangerous chemicals.
The couple were forced to make the painful decision to turn off Esra's life support, and were told to bring in friends and family to say their final goodbyes to the teenager on her deathbed.
“She was put onto a bed so we could lay with her,” a heartbroken Paul said.
“We cuddled her until the end.”
Langdon was visibly overwhelmed by the parents' memories of their final day with their daughter, and teared up alongside them.
Andrea and Paul are now dedicating their time to educating young people about the dangers of chroming, which has claimed the lives of more than a dozen young Australians since 2009.
The Haynes family have an unimaginable pain that they'll never recover from.
After losing their 13-year-old loved one to a dangerous teen craze, they're now pleading with families across the nation to try and stop anyone else going through the same heartbreak. #9ACA pic.twitter.com/zZt1MF6way
— A Current Affair (@ACurrentAffair9) May 22, 2023
“It's unquestionable that this will be our crusade,” Paul told the Herald Sun.
“No matter how much you lead a horse to water, anyone can drag them away. It's not something she would have done on her own.”
Esra’s family and friends have honoured her memory online, with a flood of tributes from her loved ones recalling her sweet nature.
One of her closest friends wrote on Facebook, “There wasn't one day in the past three years you've not made my day by your contagious laugh and gorgeous smile.”
“My heart aches and it doesn't feel real knowing I'll have to say goodbye to you Esra. You're so young. You were gone too soon.”
Image credits: A Current Affair