A 15-Year-Old Girl Is Brain Dead After Taking Too Much Benadryl for a Tiktok Trend, and Her Dad Says She Just Wanted to Be Famous
Leah Presson, 15, has no brain activity in an ICU after attempting the “Benadryl Challenge,” which dares teens to overdose on the allergy medication and stay awake through the drowsiness for a high.
Her father, Richard Presson, told NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” that he knew she had tried it at least five times, starting around Christmas. He only learned about the trend recently, when his ex-wife told him.
“Leah is a very great person and she always wanted to be TikTok famous,” he said. “It hurts to see that my daughter is now laying lifeless because of some challenge that couldn’t be stopped.”
The challenge can trigger seizures, which Leah suffered, and cardiac arrest. Her family chose to donate her organs, which Presson said could help up to 90 other people.
His message to other parents came down to one word: communicate. He urged families, especially broken ones, to talk to their kids about new online trends before it’s too late.
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