Eriks Cause

Eriks Cause-Help stop the choking game

ERIK’S STORY

My son, Erik Robinson, died April 21, 2010 from the Choking Game. Erik was a normal, healthy 6th grader at Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica, California – an “A” student, avid athlete and boy scout. His dream was to go to West Point, enter the military and then law enforcement. He was the opposite of a youth “at risk”.  Credible evidence is very strong that Erik’s first exposure to the choking game was during school the day before he tried it at home and died.

Documented incidences of choking game activity on middle school campuses are on the rise. It is an insidious epidemic that kills kids more instantly than drugs, yet denial of its prevalence by adults is so high that it is hard to spread the word in a meaningful way. No parent wants to think their child would do something so ridiculously stupid. Our whole family was in denial – despite police insistence that this was the cause of Erik’s death – until one brave schoolmate spoke up.

When I asked Erik’s school district if they would provide choking game prevention awareness, they asked if we could create a new training without graphic content that would broach the topic as a skills-building process rather than an instructional presentation.  Stephanie Small, MFCT and I partnered to create an approach to meet these needs.  A multitude of diverse professionals as well as parents and kids provided valuable input as we created it.  Presently being piloted in Santa Monica, CA, is also being shown and well-received in other parts of the country. This educational PowerPoint video is geared for children ages 9-16.  You can watch ”Help Stop the Choking Game” on You Tube or here on this site.

My ultimate goal is for this issue to have the national exposure and dialogue it deserves – the way bullying is finally coming to light. Meanwhile, kids are still dying – approximately one child every week across the US and Europe (by very conservative estimates). Even more are injured. Unfortunately, too many choking game deaths are mislabeled as suicides and many injuries go unreported altogether.

Erik’s dream was to be a soldier – he wanted to save lives. My mission is to honor his legacy by saving the lives of other kids. Please share your story with us, tell a friend, share with others, join our cause and save kids’ lives.

Thank you, Judy Rogg (Erik’s mom)

The mission of Erik’s Cause is to bring awareness of the deadly “Choking Game” into the national spotlight so parents and children understand its true dangers and lives can be saved. Education is the most effective way to combat its rampant popularity among tweens and teens. We have developed an educational training that does not contain graphic content and addresses the topic with a skills building curriculum to help kids understand its dangers as well how to say “No”.

WHAT IS “THE CHOKING GAME”?

Communities throughout the U.S. and Europe are enduring the tragic deaths of children as the accidental result of an increasingly pervasive activity commonly known as the “Choking Game”.  This is not a “game” – it can cause brain damage or death, with or without warning signs.

What is it?

It Is Not A Game!  The choking “game” is an activity in which children suffocate each other by various methods, including:  Strangling themselves or others with belts, ropes, their bare hands, or placing great pressure on their chest in an effort to induce hyperventilation. What they do not know is that maintaining a strangulation technique too long may accidently cause death or injury.  Many kids also try this “game” alone by using a rope or belt (causing the majority of deaths).  Since they don’t know when they’re actually going to faint – they black out and accidentally choke to death.  It kills faster than drugs!  It is never safe!

Kids can become addicted to the choking game because of the euphoria they experience – not realizing that their brain is slowly dying.  The euphoria occurs in two steps (i) when pressure is applied (as blood carrying oxygen decreases) causing a lightheaded dizzy sensation; and then (ii) when pressure is released (as blood carrying oxygen floods the brain) causing a “rush” sensation. The rush only lasts momentarily so kids continue to do it – they don’t realize the potential for brain damage, injury and death.

Why is it popular?
The tween/teen years are a time of curiosity and exploration.  Some kids have said that this “game” gives them a feeling of invincibility.  While most students are taught the risks of drugs and alcohol, the dangers of the choking game go largely unaddressed.  The popularity of the choking game may boil down to one simple fact:  Children and adolescents believe it is safe because they are unaware of its dangers.

What can you do?

• Learn about it
• Educate your kids about it
• Urge your school to incorporate education about it into their curriculum
• Spread the word

Choking game fatalities appear to be on the rise.  Conservative statistics indicate that approximately one child per week in the U.S. and Europe dies from this activity, though the number may well be higher as many choking game deaths are misclassified as suicides.  (Estimates including misclassifications range between 250-1,000 children annually.).  Injuries from the choking game often go unreported.  Statistics also indicate that approximately 75% of all kids have either heard of or engaged in this activity while only 25% of adults are aware it exists.

SAVE LIVES – SPREAD THE WORD!