A Viral Social Media Trend Killed My Son — And It Could Happen To Your Family, Too

Our youngest of three, Mason, was a typical 15-year-old boy who went to a good school and had great friends. He loved the outdoors, and his favorite pastime was fishing. He loved to entertain us with his witty humor and his amazing cooking skills. He was living a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle. But, in 2019, he died trying a viral social media trend.

On a perfectly routine evening, he went to take a shower. He gave his dad his typical hug and as he walked upstairs, he said, “I love you, Momma.” I replied, “I love you too, buddy.” Those were our last words. A few minutes later, we heard an unusual noise and soon found him with no heartbeat, not breathing, with a belt around his neck.

His dad is a firefighter and immediately started CPR. I’m not sure how he was able to put aside his personal emotions and professionally do what needed to be done. He was heroic and is the reason we were able to extend Mason’s life as much as we could. This gave us time to process what had happened, pray over him while he was on life support for a week, and do what Mason would have wanted — give his lifesaving organs to others.

While my husband was able to get a pulse back with CPR, Mason never woke up. Mason was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced clinically brain dead. He was on life support for three more days while they prepared his body for his organ donation. Our lives have been forever changed, and we miss our son’s generous and caring personality deeply.

During our time grieving his life, we learned that Mason had participated in the viral social media trend called the “choking challenge.” This is a dangerous online stunt where teens temporarily strangle themselves to pass out and then post the recording on social