Re: Please read, if you dont want to see anymore of this, let me know

[Guest guest]

That was a very good story. It is too bad that a parent had to lose a

child to this choking game.

I watched Dr. Phil today. At the end of the show they always tell

you what is going to air the next day. Tomorrow on Tues. he will be

dealing with a child who does the choking game. I do not know if the

Dr. Phil shows are the same everywhere but that is what is going on

on his show tomorrow in Indiana. I hope a lot of parents can watch

it. Ingrid

>

> Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 10:41:24 -0700

>

> This `game' has consequences that can be lethal

>

>

> KATHLEEN MERRYMAN; THE NEWS TRIBUNE

> Published: September 26th, 2005 12:01 AM

> Colin was having a great day Sept. 7.

> He'd finished his fourth day as an eighth-grader in Mason Middle

School's Highly Capable Program. He'd mastered a 360-degree kick flip

on his skateboard. He helped his sister, Molly, 10, learn to

skateboard. He'd done his homework and noted all his plans for the

next day in his new datebook. He'd checked off all his chores on the

chart he'd posted in his room.

>

> He was ready to play more soccer with his elite team. He'd cuddled

his dog, Teeko, and was deep into reading " Eldest, " the

newest " Eragon " novel by Paolini. He'd made plans for the

rest of the evening.

>

> Just after dinner, he went to his room, stepped into his closet,

put a rope around his neck, tightened it, and died.

> Enlarge image

> PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. MICHAEL RUSSELL

> Colin 's life included sports, school and family outings. He

died this month, apparently playing " The Choking Game. "

> Colin was 13.

>

>

> His parents, Drs. and , believe their boy

is the most recent casualty of what kids call The Choking Game.

>

> There was no suicide note, she said. Nor was there any evidence of

depression or mention of suicide in Colin's behavior, conversations

with friends, journals or e-mails. His parents have read every scrap

of paper in his room, every electronic remnant of his writing and

correspondence, and found no evidence indicating that Colin killed

himself on purpose.

>

> " If he had committed suicide, we would be happy to tell that story,

too, " said , who is a family practitioner.

>

> It is no easier telling this one.

>

> Colin was a beguiling combination of muscle, daring, brains and

sweetness.

>

> He was an elite soccer player and an avid skateboarder. He surfed

on Maui and the west coast of Vancouver Island and skim-boarded at

Cannon Beach. He and his father planned to learn to scuba dive

together. He played the violin in the fifth and sixth grades, then

switched to the cello and asked for private lessons. He taught

himself to play acoustic and electric guitar. He excelled

academically and was in Mason Middle School's Highly Capable Program.

Every summer, he loved going to the YMCA's Camp Seymour and was on

course to become a counselor there. He had many friends, and, despite

the tides of teen drama, remained loyal to them. He still slept with

Whitey, the stuffed toy dog he'd had since he was tiny.

>

> " It was hard to keep up with him, " his mom said. " He was always a

little ahead of the game. "

>

> He was, she now knows, precisely the kind of child who is drawn to

The Choking Game.

>

> The night Colin died, one of the many friends who gathered to

support the s mentioned a story on the ABC news

magazine " 20/20. " It focused on Chelsea Dunn, 13, a bright, active

girl who lived near Boise. Her parents found her dead, hanging from

her closet door with a belt around her neck. The show reported that

Chelsea had written a note that read, " I love doing that pass-out

thing. You wake up and forget what happened. It comes back though

you're all tingly. "

>

>

> " That pass-out thing " is a potentially deadly game circulating

through pre-teen and early teen culture. It goes by various names,

The Choking Game, Space Monkey, Space Cowboy, Black Hole, Knockout,

the Fainting Game.

>

> Kids in the United States, Canada and Britain have died while

engaging in it.

>

> Kids try it together. One person will cut off the air to another

until that person nearly faints. Then the choker releases, and air

flows back to the other person's brain.

>

> Kids try it on their own, in secret, with ropes, belts, leashes,

collars or ties. They risk brain damage and, in some cases, heart

attacks.

>

> The more they learned about The Choking Game, the more the s

realized their son matched the profile of its casualties.

>

> " These victims are high-achieving, sports- and action-oriented

kids, " said New Hampshire's chief medical examiner, Dr.

in an information sheet recently distributed by The American Academy

of Pediatrics.

>

> In a Web question-and-answer session sponsored by ABC News,

also noted most kids who engage in the behavior are between 9 and 14

years old. They enjoy the light-headedness they feel when they are

not getting oxygen, and the rush that follows when they do. And they

can truthfully tell their parents that they are not taking drugs or

alcohol.

>

> Almost universally, parents of kids killed in The Choking Game said

they had never heard of it and had no idea their children were

engaged in such risky behavior.

>

> " We don't know when he learned about this, " said. " We

don't know how long he'd known about it, how many times he'd done it,

or if this was the only time. No one has come forward to say they

talked about it. "

>

> As far as they can tell, information on the game spreads through

the teen and pre-teen communication network that flows between kids

like a layer of plasma invisible to adults. Information and

misinformation swirl via cell phones, e-mails, instant messages, Web

sites, blogs, intense conversations in school restrooms.

>

> sees this as the bitterest of ironies.

>

> As part of her family practice, she tries to keep up with all the

risky behaviors kids try, so she can help parents steer them clear.

As a mom, she had cut her work week to spend more time with her kids,

along with their beloved nanny. She and , an anesthesiologist,

prize family recreation, meals, talking time.

>

> " I had not heard of this, " said. " I do risk-reduction

counseling for families. I was our family's safety queen. I had not

heard of this. "

>

> Now, of course, she knows the warning signs she will pass on to

other parents: Bruises or pinpoint blood spots on a kid's neck, or

blood spots on the eye and inside of the eyelid.

>

> Her son had none of those signs, but, looking back, she sees

another. She noticed that he had left the light on in his closet a

few times.

>

> " I told him `I bet you're reading late, aren't you,' and I noticed

the funniest look on his face. He said, `Oh, no. I'm not reading.

Sometimes I just have to go to the bathroom,' " she said.

>

> and would trade anything for the chance

other parents are getting now to talk about The Choking Game with

their children.

>

> They are grateful that families are learning about it, that doctors

are circulating information on it, that Tacoma School District

officials are crafting a way to educate kids about its dangers

without glorifying it.

>

> As much as anything can, spreading the word about the hazards of

The Choking Game gives their son's senseless death a purpose.

>

> " At the memorial service, two moms came up and said their children

had been playing the choking game, " said. " I find this

somewhat comforting. At least I know this can help two children. …

These kids have to realize how precious they are. They are not

replaceable. "

>

> Kathleen Merryman:

>

> kathleen.merryman@t...

>

>

>

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Yahoo! for Good

> Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Yes, I knew about the Dr. Phil show, I do need to post that to everyone, I

talked to them but didnt do the show, they already had and Sam and Gabe

and just wanted additional information, that's fine, I have no desire to be on

TV, but to tell 's story is fine in order to save lives. A friend who's 16

yr old son died, did a newscast which will show on a Philly station at 11

tonight, I'll post that link afterwards. Thanks ~~Dianna

Ingrid Lowe lowenco@...> wrote:That was a very good story. It is too

bad that a parent had to lose a

child to this choking game.

I watched Dr. Phil today. At the end of the show they always tell

you what is going to air the next day. Tomorrow on Tues. he will be

dealing with a child who does the choking game. I do not know if the

Dr. Phil shows are the same everywhere but that is what is going on

on his show tomorrow in Indiana. I hope a lot of parents can watch

it. Ingrid

>

> Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 10:41:24 -0700

>

> This `game' has consequences that can be lethal

>

>

> KATHLEEN MERRYMAN; THE NEWS TRIBUNE

> Published: September 26th, 2005 12:01 AM

> Colin was having a great day Sept. 7.

> He'd finished his fourth day as an eighth-grader in Mason Middle

School's Highly Capable Program. He'd mastered a 360-degree kick flip

on his skateboard. He helped his sister, Molly, 10, learn to

skateboard. He'd done his homework and noted all his plans for the

next day in his new datebook. He'd checked off all his chores on the

chart he'd posted in his room.

>

> He was ready to play more soccer with his elite team. He'd cuddled

his dog, Teeko, and was deep into reading " Eldest, " the

newest " Eragon " novel by Paolini. He'd made plans for the

rest of the evening.

>

> Just after dinner, he went to his room, stepped into his closet,

put a rope around his neck, tightened it, and died.

> Enlarge image

> PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. MICHAEL RUSSELL

> Colin 's life included sports, school and family outings. He

died this month, apparently playing " The Choking Game. "

> Colin was 13.

>

>

> His parents, Drs. and , believe their boy

is the most recent casualty of what kids call The Choking Game.

>

> There was no suicide note, she said. Nor was there any evidence of

depression or mention of suicide in Colin's behavior, conversations

with friends, journals or e-mails. His parents have read every scrap

of paper in his room, every electronic remnant of his writing and

correspondence, and found no evidence indicating that Colin killed

himself on purpose.

>

> " If he had committed suicide, we would be happy to tell that story,

too, " said , who is a family practitioner.

>

> It is no easier telling this one.

>

> Colin was a beguiling combination of muscle, daring, brains and

sweetness.

>

> He was an elite soccer player and an avid skateboarder. He surfed

on Maui and the west coast of Vancouver Island and skim-boarded at

Cannon Beach. He and his father planned to learn to scuba dive

together. He played the violin in the fifth and sixth grades, then

switched to the cello and asked for private lessons. He taught

himself to play acoustic and electric guitar. He excelled

academically and was in Mason Middle School's Highly Capable Program.

Every summer, he loved going to the YMCA's Camp Seymour and was on

course to become a counselor there. He had many friends, and, despite

the tides of teen drama, remained loyal to them. He still slept with

Whitey, the stuffed toy dog he'd had since he was tiny.

>

> " It was hard to keep up with him, " his mom said. " He was always a

little ahead of the game. "

>

> He was, she now knows, precisely the kind of child who is drawn to

The Choking Game.

>

> The night Colin died, one of the many friends who gathered to

support the s mentioned a story on the ABC news

magazine " 20/20. " It focused on Chelsea Dunn, 13, a bright, active

girl who lived near Boise. Her parents found her dead, hanging from

her closet door with a belt around her neck. The show reported that

Chelsea had written a note that read, " I love doing that pass-out

thing. You wake up and forget what happened. It comes back though

you're all tingly. "

>

>

> " That pass-out thing " is a potentially deadly game circulating

through pre-teen and early teen culture. It goes by various names,

The Choking Game, Space Monkey, Space Cowboy, Black Hole, Knockout,

the Fainting Game.

>

> Kids in the United States, Canada and Britain have died while

engaging in it.

>

> Kids try it together. One person will cut off the air to another

until that person nearly faints. Then the choker releases, and air

flows back to the other person's brain.

>

> Kids try it on their own, in secret, with ropes, belts, leashes,

collars or ties. They risk brain damage and, in some cases, heart

attacks.

>

> The more they learned about The Choking Game, the more the s

realized their son matched the profile of its casualties.

>

> " These victims are high-achieving, sports- and action-oriented

kids, " said New Hampshire's chief medical examiner, Dr.

in an information sheet recently distributed by The American Academy

of Pediatrics.

>

> In a Web question-and-answer session sponsored by ABC News,

also noted most kids who engage in the behavior are between 9 and 14

years old. They enjoy the light-headedness they feel when they are

not getting oxygen, and the rush that follows when they do. And they

can truthfully tell their parents that they are not taking drugs or

alcohol.

>

> Almost universally, parents of kids killed in The Choking Game said

they had never heard of it and had no idea their children were

engaged in such risky behavior.

>

> " We don't know when he learned about this, " said. " We

don't know how long he'd known about it, how many times he'd done it,

or if this was the only time. No one has come forward to say they

talked about it. "

>

> As far as they can tell, information on the game spreads through

the teen and pre-teen communication network that flows between kids

like a layer of plasma invisible to adults. Information and

misinformation swirl via cell phones, e-mails, instant messages, Web

sites, blogs, intense conversations in school restrooms.

>

> sees this as the bitterest of ironies.

>

> As part of her family practice, she tries to keep up with all the

risky behaviors kids try, so she can help parents steer them clear.

As a mom, she had cut her work week to spend more time with her kids,

along with their beloved nanny. She and , an anesthesiologist,

prize family recreation, meals, talking time.

>

> " I had not heard of this, " said. " I do risk-reduction

counseling for families. I was our family's safety queen. I had not

heard of this. "

>

> Now, of course, she knows the warning signs she will pass on to

other parents: Bruises or pinpoint blood spots on a kid's neck, or

blood spots on the eye and inside of the eyelid.

>

> Her son had none of those signs, but, looking back, she sees

another. She noticed that he had left the light on in his closet a

few times.

>

> " I told him `I bet you're reading late, aren't you,' and I noticed

the funniest look on his face. He said, `Oh, no. I'm not reading.

Sometimes I just have to go to the bathroom,' " she said.

>

> and would trade anything for the chance

other parents are getting now to talk about The Choking Game with

their children.

>

> They are grateful that families are learning about it, that doctors

are circulating information on it, that Tacoma School District

officials are crafting a way to educate kids about its dangers

without glorifying it.

>

> As much as anything can, spreading the word about the hazards of

The Choking Game gives their son's senseless death a purpose.

>

> " At the memorial service, two moms came up and said their children

had been playing the choking game, " said. " I find this

somewhat comforting. At least I know this can help two children. …

These kids have to realize how precious they are. They are not

replaceable. "

>

> Kathleen Merryman:

>

> kathleen.merryman@t...

>

>

>

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Yahoo! for Good

> Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

>

>