When a Game Turns Deadly
The "choking game" gains popularity among teens and tweens ... but sometimes kills.
While her mom was out running errands last week, 11-year-old Deneathia
Service decided to play "suffocation roulette" with her younger sister.
The game cost Deneathia her life. When Service's older brother discovered her unconscious in the closet with a belt tied around her neck, it was too late. She was already dead.
Unfortunately, Deneathia is just the latest in a long list of victims. Momlogic talked to Sarah Pacatte, a mom who is all too familiar with the choking game and its deadly consequences. Her 13-year-old twin son, Gabriel, (pictured) died on May 6, 2005 while playing it. Sarah was just five feet away from him, right in the next room. "The choking game is something that kids hear about from other kids," says this mother of four. "They're told it will give them a high and that it's not dangerous. But the truth is, it kills."
And even if a child plays it and doesn't die, the list of other potential side effects is long. They include: bruises, concussions, broken bones, seizures, brain damage, retinal hemorrhaging, and even stroke. Because there's no standardized way to report deaths as a result of the choking game, it's hard to track exactly how many kids have died from playing it. The first government report of choking game fatalities found that 82 kids have perished from it since 1995, reported CBS News. But according to Pacatte, that figure is likely much higher, due to the fact that many of these deaths are actually reported as accidents, strangulation, hanging, or suicide. She says that since her son Gabriel's death three years ago, more than 300 kids have perished while playing the game.
Since her son's tragic passing, Pacatte works with a group called GASP (Games Adolescents Shouldn't Play) to educate parents on the dangers of the choking game. "Parents need to talk to their kids about the choking game, just as they would talk to their kids about any other dangerous activity like drinking or doing drugs." If you're worried you'll "put ideas into your kid's head," Pacatte says those ideas are already there. "Kids across this country are talking about this and doing it. This game goes by many names: Suffocation Roulette, Black Out, Pass Out, Choking, Fainting, Strangle, Flatline, California High, Wall Toke, Funky Chicken and Space Monkey, to name a few. Just punch in 'pass out game' into YouTube and you'll find hundreds of videos of kids doing this 'for fun'." (We just did this, and were alarmed to see that some of these videos have been viewed over 10,000 times.) "They all think nothing will go wrong," she concludes. "But they need to know the game can be deadly."
The Centers for Disease Control officials urge parents to be aware the fad
exists, and to watch for possible warning signs like bloodshot eyes,
marks on the neck, frequent and severe headaches, disorientation after
spending time alone, and ropes, scarves or belts tied to bedroom
furniture or doorknobs or found knotted on the floor. For more warning signs your child is playing the choking game, click here.
Our heart goes out to Sarah Pacatte, Deneathia Service's mom, and any other mother who has lost a child as a result of the choking game. We plan to talk to our tweens and teens about this tonight. What about you?
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