A 15-YEAR-OLD girl who “always wanted to be TikTok famous” has been left brain dead after attempting a dangerous social media challenge.
Leah Presson took part in a deadly trend where teens record themselves taking overdoses of allergy medication Benadryl and try to stay awake despite drowsiness from the drug to achieve a high.
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Leah Presson, 15, was declared brain dead after taking part in a fatal trend Credit: Facebook/Richard Presson
The teen ‘always wanted to be TikTok famous’, and participated in a ‘challenge’ that saw her take excess amounts of allergy drug Benadryl Credit: Richard Presson
But taking part in the viral challenge can be fatal, and Leah was left with “zero brain activity” in hospital in Enid, Oklahoma, after attempting it.
Her heartbroken dad Richard Presson warned that taking part in these challenges can kill.
Richard told Newsnation: “Leah is a very great person and she always wanted to be TikTok famous.
“It hurts to see that my daughter is now laying lifeless because of some challenge that couldn’t be stopped.”
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Taking excess amounts of Benadryl can cause seizures, heart attacks, and death.
Dr Ryan Brown said doctors are aware of the fatal trend and consider it incredibly dangerous.
He said: “When you take the Benadryl or diphenhydramine in excess of that, in excess of this, it can lead to seizures and cardiac arrhythmias, and sometimes those cardiac arrhythmias lead to cardiac arrest, which can lead to no blood to the brain, which can lead to brain death.”
Leah suffered seizures and was rushed to hospital – at first, parents thought it was linked to her history of asthma, but all symptoms suggested she had taken part again in the deadly challenge.
Leah was left with ‘zero brain activity’ in hospital after trying the viral trend Credit: Richard Presson
The dangers of social media challenges
DANGEROUS trends that spread like wildfire on social media have claimed the lives of several teens and children in recent years.
So-called “challenges” involve users filming themselves attempting dangerous stunts, then posting the videos online.
One trend, the “blackout challenge” encouraged people to choke themselves until the point of losing consciousness.
The mums of two young girls who allegedly died attempting the blackout challenge after seeing it on TikTok sued the social media giant in 2022.
In 2020, hundreds of videos of the disturbing “skull breaker challenge” circulated on TikTok, leaving kids with head injuries.
Teen Chloe Phillips died that same year after attempting the deadly Benadryl challenge, which sees users take excess amounts of the allergy medication to chase a high.
Doctors warned parents to watch out for their children taking part in these challenges, and warned kids and teens not to take part in dangerous – potentially deadly – trends that they see online.
Her dad said she had tried the challenge several times before, and this time it left her fighting for her life in intensive care for days.
Several tests showed she was brain dead.
Distraught dad Richard said: “I just want everybody to be aware of where they can educate their kids.
“But these challenges are just silly, and they need to be educated so it doesn’t happen again.”
Richard described the teen as the most giving person in the world, who had a truly contagious laugh.
He posted a heartbreaking video of Leah lying in her hospital bed as loved ones prayed for her, held her hand and sung.
Richard said after his daughter was pronounced brain dead, he was “still waiting on a miracle even though some have given up” but had chosen to “donate her organs because she is the kind of girl that would have given anything to anybody”.
He added on Jattvibeday: “She loved Grey’s Anatomy and is able to possibly save up to 90 lives with her little body.
“They have 72 hours before they harvest her organs and there will be an honor walk for her, where everyone lines the hallways and honors her.”
Dr Brown said that Benadryl, when taken in the correct doses, can be useful for treating allergies and colds, but that can kill in excess amounts.
He added: “If your child is acting strange, look around.”
“Make sure that there’s not an empty pill bottle or something in the vicinity that may lead you to a clue as to what may have been going on.”
