A mother has sent a heartfelt warning to parents after her 12-year-old son died from playing the choking game with his friends.
Celestia Muai revealed that she spent her Mother’s Day planning her son Tua’s funeral after she found him unconscious last Friday, when he and his friends thought it would be fun to cut off the oxygen to their brain in the hope to create a ‘temporary high’.
‘I spent Mother’s Day planning my son’s funeral, writing his obituary, instead of having breakfast or flowers or “I love you mom,”’ Celestia told Fox 13 Salt Lake City.
‘Try to imagine what it would be like and multiply that by infinity and that’s kind of what it’s like… there’s no words,’ she added. ‘He was just playing a game and he didn’t think things through.’
Celestia now hopes that her son’s tragic death will serve as a warning to parents to keep an eye on what their children are getting up to.
‘There’s nothing that can take the pain away but if it can save one child, one parent, one family,’ she added. ‘Then it will make more sense.’
Tua’s family have now set up a YouCaring page to help cover his funeral costs and support his family, which includes seven brothers and sisters.
Describing her son, Celestia revealed that he is now at peace with his father, who died unexpectedly two years ago.
She said: ‘He is a light and joy to all who know him. His zeal for adventure and making others laugh will be remembered forever. He loved football and his band of brothers were his dearest comrades, and his coach was like a second father to him.
‘He is welcomed into heaven by his dear father, Felise Muai, who passed away unexpectedly 2 years ago,’ the post continued. ‘We know that was a joyful reunion for sweet Tua. He is dearly missed by his grandparents, cousins, and much extended family and friends.’
Tua isn’t the only young child to tragically lose his life due to the ‘choking game’.
According to TIME magazine, 82 children died in the United States between 1995 and 2007 from playing the game, most of whom were boys between the ages of 11 and 16.
Recently social media has allowed the craze to travel across the world as young people film themselves completing the game and sharing it online, creating a trend in the UK.
