Twelve Year Old Boys Left Brain Dead after Trying to become TikTok Famous hey everyone, and welcome back to our channel where we bring you some of the most mindblowing viral stories from all over the world. In this episode, we will see how social media can and greatly influenced the behavior of young children.
Social media challenges can be a lot of fun for sure. The infamous Ice Bucket Challenge reportedly raised a whopping $220,000,000 worldwide and has spread global knowledge about ALS. The Mannequin challenge also became a viral trend that showcased creativity.
However, despite all the potential Fame and followers, keep in mind these challenges were not created equal. Others can be fairly easy to do, while some can cause serious harm and the Haleysis family is no stranger to the dangers that a social media challenge can do. This family in Colorado had been devastated when a tragedy suddenly came their way.
Twelve year old boy Joshua Hayley’s was reportedly left brain dead after trying the so called Blackout Challenge, which has been around for years but recently gained traction through a social media platform called TikTok. In the bathroom, he tried to choke himself with a shoelace until he passed out.
He was then found by his twin brother unconscious, who tried to resuscitate him until neighbors in the ambulances arrived. Unfortunately, it was too late to save him. Joshua was announced brain dead and his family was in complete disbelief. Joshua’s family shared these details on a GoFundMe page created to help with his hospital expenses. It’s also being used to inform other parents about the blackout challenge and the consequences it may cost.
The family also mentioned on the GoFundMe page that everyone who knew Joshua can immediately tell what an incredible, intelligent, funny, caring and gifted twelve year old boy he is.
Together with his twin brother, he would learn and master new hobbies out of pure curiosity and drive whether it was playing soccer, barbecuing sophisticated meals better than any adult in their family can, practicing professional photography, experimenting with 3D modeling software, learning the ins and outs of acting including screenwriting and costume design, playing guitar and planning his future of joining the army before becoming a first responder.
Joshua has an excitement and passion for growing and learning. Doctors intubated the twelve year old and revealed to the family at the time that his chance for survival is extremely unlikely. Joshua’s father, Halees Zirion, was frantically kneeling on the floor hoping that his son would finally wake up.
The family just wanted more time to continue fighting for their son’s life, he said. If he just gave up on him, it would feel like he’s just walking away from his son and no father in his right mind would ever do that to his son. Unfortunately, after spending 19 days on life support, Joshua’s body didn’t make it.
We would like to update everyone that this evening, after fighting the good fight on life support for 19 days Joshua has gone off to be with the Lord, the GoFundMe page stated. Joshua’s family added, to everyone who has prayed relentlessly and shared our burden during this trying time, we thank you.
Your prayers and your love have comforted us. We are grateful for your support. It’s really hard to tell why people would go to such lengths just to become popular. Definitely not a joke and not a thing to play with, especially when it puts someone’s life at risk. On the other hand, TikTok extended its profound sympathies to the boy and his family a few weeks after the incident, according to reports from social media outlets at TikTok.
We have no higher priority than protecting the safety of our community. Content that promotes or glorifies dangerous behavior is strictly prohibited and promptly removed to prevent it from becoming a trend on our platform, the company said in a statement.
We urged the community to spread awareness about Joshua and the real risk involved in not having knowledge of what kinds of activities children are involved in. The Aurora Police Crimes Against Children’s unit has been investigating the facts and circumstances of a case involving Joshua. The investigation is ongoing and there was no additional information available at this time.