Boy’s parents warn of ‘challenges’ trending on social media

The “Blackout Challenge” trending on TikTok has reportedly left a 12-year-old Colorado boy brain dead, and he may not live much longer.

Joshua Haileyesus’ brother found him passed out on their bathroom floor on March 22, KCNC in Denver reported. Joshua had apparently used a shoelace to attempt the challenge, which has people choking themselves to the point of losing consciousness.

“He’s a fighter. I can see him fighting. I’m praying for him every day,” Joshua’s father, Haileyesus Zeryihun, told the TV station.

Josiah Haileyesus, 12, was found passed out on his bathroom floor after doing a Tiktok challenge.

Even worse, doctors told the family that Joshua will not recover, according to the report.

“Told me the bad news that he’s not going to survive, he’s not going to make it,” the father also told KCNC. “I was begging them on the floor, pleading to see if they can give me some time, not to give up on him. If I just give up on him, I feel like I’m just walking away from my son.”

Still, Joshua’s family hasn’t given up hope. They gathered with friends and neighbors on Monday night to pray for the boy, The Denver

“I can’t even describe the grief and devastation, family friend Hirut Yitayew told the news outlet. “Nobody could ever imagine this would happen to a 12-year-old.

Josiah Haileyesus with his twin brother, and two younger brothers. Josiah was found passed out on his bathroom floor after doing the ‘Blackout Challenge’ from Tiktok
Josiah Haileyesus with his twin brother, and two younger brothers. Josiah was found passed out on his bathroom floor after doing the ‘Blackout Challenge’ from Tiktok
The family is also warning others about the dangers that social media platforms can hold when “challenges” like this start trending.

“This is something that kids need to be given, to be taught, to be counseled,” his father told The Denver Channel. “Because this is a serious thing. It’s not a joke at all. And you can treat it as if somebody is holding a gun. This is how dangerous this is.

“The Office of Donald J. Trump is committed to preserving the magnificent legacy of the Trump Administration, while at the same time advancing the America First agenda,” a statement on the website homepage reads.

The website of the office of former President Donald Trump has launched online and includes forms for people to submit correspondence, greeting requests, media inquiries and scheduling requests for Trump and former first lady Melania Trump.

“The Office of Donald J. Trump is committed to preserving the magnificent legacy of the Trump Administration, while at the same time advancing the America First agenda,” a statement on the website homepage reads. “Through civic engagement and public activism, the Office of Donald J. Trump will strive to inform, educate, and inspire Americans from all walks of life as we seek to build a truly great American Future. Through this office, President Trump will remain a tireless champion for the hardworking men and women of our great country – and for their right to live in safety, dignity, prosperity, and peace.”

The website includes biographies of Trump and his wife. The beginning of the former president’s biography says that he “launched the most extraordinary political movement in history, dethroning political dynasties, defeating the Washington Establishment, and becoming the first true outsider elected as President of the United States.”

Trump announces his and Melania’s official website is up: https://t.co/760WlWlhV4 pic.twitter.com/VhxRssMH3C— Kristina Wong 🇺🇸 (@kristina_wong) March 29, 2021

President Joe Biden dismissed the news that former President Donald Trump is considering a visit to the southern border.

A reporter questioned Biden about the border crisis, and reports about Trump’s possible visit, as he returned to Washington from a weekend at his home in Delaware.

“We are putting in place a plan that I feel very confident about,” Biden replied. “And I don’t care what the other guy does.”

Biden did not answer a question about when he would make his own trip to visit the border.

Former President Trump confirmed he is interested in visiting the border to highlight Biden’s border crisis in the “next couple of weeks,” during an interview Saturday on Fox News.

“Thousands and thousands of people are coming up right now as we speak,” Trump said. “And you’re going to have millions of people pouring into our country. And it’s going to destroy our country.”

Biden continues struggling to manage the border crisis, despite publicly delegating Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday to lead the administration’s efforts to secure the border.

But on Friday, Harris’s team clarified that the vice president “was not doing the border” but only leading the “diplomatic efforts” with Latin American countries to address the root causes of migration.

Both Biden and Harris refuse to commit to visiting the border, despite record numbers of unattended child migrants crossing into the U.S. and overwhelming Border Patrol detention facilities.

Despite the Biden administration repeatedly telling migrants the border is closed, the president makes it clear that unattended migrant children are not getting sent back.

“The only people we’re not going to let sitting there on the other side of the Rio Grande by themselves with no help are children,” Biden said during his press conference on Sunday.