A 12-year-old boy was left fighting for his life after a dangerous deodorant trend on TikTok went horribly wrong, causing him to go into cardiac arrest.
Cesar Watson-King, from Doncaster, is alleged to have inhaled a can of antiperspirant last month after an older boy showed him the social media fad “chroming”.
The trend involves inhaling toxic fumes, from cans of deodorant, hairspray and nail polish remover, to achieve a state of euphoria.
But moments after the inhalation, Cesar’s mother, Nichola King, found him on the kitchen floor having a seizure. The 36-year-old man performed CPR to get him breathing again while his brother called an ambulance.
Cesar was rushed to hospital, where he suffered further seizures and cardiac arrest before being placed in a medically induced coma.
But moments later his mother, Nichola King, discovered him on the kitchen floor having a seizure.
The mother-of-four has now shared horrific footage of paramedics performing chest compressions in an attempt to save him, to serve as a warning about the dangers of this trend.
The term “chroming” has been used as a slang term to describe the trend of inhaling toxic fumes before TikTok launched in the UK in 2018.
However, Chrome videos appear to have been posted on the platform as early as February, with at least one of them exceeding 700,000 views.
TikTok says it has banned search results from appearing for the ‘Chrome challenge’.
Recalling Cesar’s ordeal, Mrs King said: “I had just finished breastfeeding my baby and was falling asleep when I heard a very loud bang. I thought one of the children had done something.
“I heard Cesar sneaking down the stairs and thought he had gone down to get something to eat. The crash sounded like someone had fallen.
‘I heard a moaning noise coming from below and I thought Cesar had broken a bone or something.
The mother-of-four has now shared horrific footage of paramedics performing chest compressions in an attempt to save him, to serve as a warning of the dangers of the trend.
Cesar Watson-King, from Doncaster, is alleged to have inhaled a can of antiperspirant last month after an older boy showed him the social media fad “chroming”.
‘I started to walk down the stairs and saw Cesar lying on the floor with his eyes rolled back.
‘It was terrifying. I was having a seizure. I ran upstairs to get my phone. I couldn’t even unlock it to call an ambulance because my hands were shaking so much so my eldest son called 999.
‘I thought he had fallen and hit his head. I had no idea what had happened. He turned blue and stopped breathing. I thought he had died.’
“I was in shock. I saw my son die and I saw the light go out in his eyes.”
The paramedics rushed him to Doncaster Royal Infirmary, where he suffered several seizures and had cardiac arrests several times, he said.
He also said police told him officers found a can of Aldi Lacura deodorant and other chrome items on the kitchen floor, leading them to believe Cesar had inhaled the antiperspirant before falling unconscious.
The word ‘chrome’ is an informal word that originates in Australia.
After being transferred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Cesar was placed in a medically induced coma for 48 hours.
Ms King has also issued a warning about the dangers of the ‘chrome challenge’, advising children that it is ‘not worth it’.
Desperate, the 36-year-old performed CPR to get him breathing again while his brother called an ambulance. Cesar was rushed to hospital where he suffered further seizures and cardiac arrest before being placed in a medically induced coma. Pictured: Mrs King with Cesar and their two-year-old daughter Casi
When inhalants are abused, they affect the central nervous system and slow brain activity, producing a short-term state of euphoria.
This dangerous tendency can cause slurred speech, dizziness, hallucinations, nausea and disorientation, but it can also cause suffocation.
Inhaling toxic fumes can also cause more serious symptoms, such as forcing the heart to lose rhythm, which could cause a heart attack or cardiac arrest.
Last September, 14-year-old Sarah Mescall from County Clare, Ireland, died after also taking part in the online craze.
Talk to Frank, a charity in England dedicated to combating drug and aerosol abuse, reports that there are more than 50 deaths in the country each year involving glues, gases, solvents and aerosols.
The charity stresses that even an excessive amount of spray is enough to cause a coma or even death.
In March, 11-year-old Tommie-lee Gracie Billington from Lancaster died after allegedly trying out the trend during a sleepover at a friend’s house.
Tommie-Lee’s family are now desperate to prevent the tragedy from taking any more young lives.
Last September, 14-year-old Sarah Mescall from County Clare, Ireland, also died after taking part in the online craze.
Sarah collapsed after inhaling fumes and was placed in an induced coma, but sadly died three days later.
Recalling Caesar’s ordeal, Ms King said: “He had never heard of (chrome plating) before this. An older boy had shown him how to do it.
“When the police told me what I had inhaled, I thought I was going to die. I knew that on the back of the cans it said ‘solvent abuse kills instantly.'”
After being transferred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Cesar was placed in a medically induced coma for 48 hours.
But he was discharged after just eight days in hospital, able to breathe on his own again, as well as walk and talk.
Ms King added: “He was very happy. He was almost back to normal when he was discharged – eating, drinking, laughing. He just felt tired.
‘We don’t know if they caused him long-term damage, but his short-term memory is very poor. He didn’t remember what had happened.
“If I hadn’t heard something that night, I would have gone downstairs the next morning and found a dead body.
“I have spoken to Cesar and asked him not to do something like that again. I have thrown away everything in the house that is being fumigated.”
He has also issued a warning about the dangers of the “chrome challenge”, advising children that it is “not worth it”.
He added: ‘I would tell the kids it’s not worth it. They might feel fine, but it’s definitely not when you’re in the hospital trying to breathe on your own and the pain you’re causing your parents.
‘And I want to stress the importance of parents receiving first aid training.
“I think anyone with children should attend a course, as it could be the difference between life and death.”
Aldi declined to comment.