Holli Dark is the mother of Mason Dark, the 16-year-old who suffered severe burns last Thursday during a social media challenge gone horribly wrong. While her son is recovering in the Burn Clinic at UNC Hospitals, she spoke to ABC11 about the accident and the message she hopes other teens will take away from it.
“The last night was a really, really tough night. We found out last night before I left the hospital for the evening that he did develop pneumonia, which they told us to expect sometime throughout this journey. I just wasn’t expecting to know we’d have to deal with this the first week. So that’s a little tough to tough to take in.”
You put your faith in medical professionals. You have an unwavering faith in people. He’s in the best place possible, but I’m not very good at keeping my sentiments under check. It’s challenging to keep it inside and trust anyway. I have faith in God first and foremost, but I also believe they will make good choices. So, that’s been a major challenge.
“Kids these days, they’re always on their phones, always talking on the phone, always doing something different. The spray paint, lighters, and other vandalism have been around for many years. That test must exist, I realize. They are continuously mimicking and trying out new things on TikTok.
It seems like the youth of today are trying out whatever they see their elders doing because they want to fit in. They wish to test their abilities and observe the results. I’ve been hearing more and more from the students who were there, but it’s still tough to put together a mental picture of what transpired. I’m just relieved that the kids were around and savvy enough to dial 911.
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They’ve been trying to wean him off the ventilator and bring him out of his sedation so he can regain consciousness. And he’s accomplished a lot. The nurses have been really optimistic because baby is responding well to simple instructions like squeezing and blinking his eyes. But eventually he gets so powerful that they can’t stand a chance against him.
His arms are restrained with splints. And I mean, they had two nurses in there yesterday or the day before and I mean, he drew his arms together and my dad comes running down the hall. Four people were needed to keep him under control. He’s probably getting worked up because he’s lost track of time and place and is experiencing excruciating agony as a result.
His heart rate begins to accelerate. This means he needs to be sedated again as soon as possible. In addition, visibility is poor. They’re attempting a middle ground between rousing him and preventing him from suffering too much. All the youngsters hang out at our house. All the youngsters seem to be here all the time, wandering in and out.
As a result, I’ve been saying, “Guys, don’t do that” to all of his pals. Be wary. This is possible. This is possible. I feel it’s important for parents to be aware of the content their children are exposed to on all electronic devices. As more options become available, consumers are eager to test them out.
“Please listen to somebody who’s not your parent. Please listen to me. Don’t try these things. Don’t, don’t, don’t do it. It’s not worth it. It takes one second for it to not go right for you that you could be in the situation. And not just this particular challenge, but all the dangerous risky stuff that the kids try. I want them to know, just don’t do it. It’s just not worth it. Have fun. There’s so many other things that they can do to have fun than to take those risks that some kids take.”
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