More than £5k raised for funeral of Celtic fan, 14, who died trying Tik Tok trend
More than £5k has been raised for the funeral of a schoolboy who tragically died after taking part in a Tik Tok trend.
Celtic fan Leon Brown was found unresponsive on Thursday, August 25, by his horrified mum Lauryn Keating.
The 14-year-old, from Cumbernauld, “didn’t mean to die” as he is believed to have been attempting a ‘black out’ trend when things went seriously wrong.
The challenge has been on social media since around 2008, but recently made a comeback on Tik Tok.
It involves participants holding their breath until they pass out causing low levels of oxygen in the brain which can trigger seizures or death.
The platform is now working to ban the content and instead redirect users to their safety centre instead.
Now Lauryn, 30, is determined to stop this from happening to anyone else saying “no parent should have to see what I seen”.
Well-wishers have rallied round the grieving mother and donated more than £5,300 towards his funeral.
She warned: “I need every teenager and every parent to see this and understand the dangers of these Tik Tok challenges.
“A challenge is not worth your life, a few likes on social media is not worth your life.
“My son (I’m sure all his friends will agree) was the class clown, he was happy, he was kind, he loved to make everybody laugh but most importantly he didn’t mean to die.
“No parent should have to see what I seen, no parent should be going through what I am all because of some stupid trend.
“Even if this saves one child’s life it’s worth sharing.”
Lauryn now hopes Hoops fans will take part in a minute’s applause for Leon during the 14th minute of the Old Firm match on Saturday in Leon’s memory.
Hoops ace Liel Abada will be wearing a T-shirt with Leon’s picture underneath his top on the day.
He is also going to take a Celtic top to Parkhead for the rest of the players to sign as Leon’s picture will also be shown during the game.
His mum hopes it will raise awareness of the tragic death and stop others from becoming victim to the same fate.
The notorious Tik Tok trend that allegedly took Leon’s life has also been linked to the death of 12-year-old Archie Battersbee.
The Essex schoolboy had been in a coma since he was found unconscious by his mother Hollie Dance in April and was being kept alive by a combination of medical interventions, including ventilation and drug treatments.
Speaking outside the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, East London, Ms Dance said her “beautiful little boy” died at 12.15pm on Saturday, August 3.
Archie’s parents had fought a long-running legal battle over the withdrawal of treatment and in recent days made bids to the High Court, Court of Appeal and European Court of Human Rights to have him transferred to a hospice to die.
A TikTok spokesperson said: “Our deepest sympathies go out to the family for their tragic loss. The safety of our community is our priority, and we take any claim about a dangerous challenge very seriously. Content of this nature is prohibited on our platform and would be removed if found.”
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