A 12-year-old boy has been left brain dead after choking himself with a shoelace for a viral trend known as the ‘blackout challenge’, his family has said. Joshua Haileyesus, from Denver, Colorado, is in critical condition in hospital after apparently trying to choke himself until he passes out for a trend he saw on the popular video-sharing platform, TikTok. The boy’s father, Haileyesus Zeryihun, has said doctors have told the family that Joshua ‘isn’t going to make it’ and they should prepare to say goodbye. He believes the tragedy happened after his son tried to choke himself to see how long he could hold his breathe as part of a dangerous challenge on the internet.
Joshua’s father says that a few days before he was found, Joshua bragged to his brother he was able to hold his breath for a minute.
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