An Arizona teen has died after participating in a social media trend called "dusting." Now her family is hoping to raise awareness to spare others the heartache.
Renna O'Rourke, 19, died Sunday, June 1, after spending four days in the ICU her father, Aaron O'Rourke, said via GoFundMe.
In an emotional interview with AZ Family, Aaron and his wife, Dana O'Rourke, said their daughter always dreamed of being famous.
"She always said, 'I'm gonna be famous, Dad. Just you watch. I'm gonna be famous,' and unfortunately this is not under the most optimal of circumstances," Aaron said while sitting beside his wife in the Thursday, June 5 broadcast on AZ Family.
"Dusting," also known as "chroming" or "huffing," is a viral trend where a person inhales computer dusting spray as a means to get high.
According to the GoFundMe, Renna was pronounced brain dead after purposely breathing in the cleaning spray.
"There's no ID required. It's odorless. It's everything kids look for. They can afford it, they can get it, and it doesn't show in mom and dad's drug test," Dana told AZ Family.
"She never regained consciousness," her mother added. "We don't have children to bury them."
Renna's cause of death was sudden sniffing death syndrome, AZ Family reported.
Aaron plans to use the GoFundMe proceeds not only to cover the extensive medical bills, burial costs and therapy costs, but "to spread awareness about the dangers of Huffing/Dusting, the practice of inhaling keyboard cleaner or similar."
Dr. Randy Weisman, who leads the ICU at HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center, told AZ Family that people who "dust" can feel drunk and euphoric, but that only lasts for a few minutes.
"When they inhale these chemicals in the gas it will actually replace the oxygen within their lungs and within the rest of their body," he continued.
Weisman said participating can result in "failure of the liver, heart failure, disease of the lungs."
Video shared by AZ Family showed Renna singing in the kitchen, perfectly hitting each note.
"She was vivacious and caring and loyal," Dana said of her daughter.
Now, Aaron and Dana are doing their best to warn others of the dangers.
"Don't take your kids word for it. Dig deep. Search their rooms. Don't trust and that sounds horrible, but it could save their life," Dana told the news station.