15-year-old left brain dead after taking part in TikTok's viral Benadryl challenge

Oklahoma - A social media challenge took a horrifying turn for Leah Presson of Oklahoma, whose attempt to go viral with TikTok's "Benadryl challenge" has left her brain dead.

For a TikTok challenge, Leah Presson took an overdose of the allergy medication Benadryl.
For a TikTok challenge, Leah Presson took an overdose of the allergy medication Benadryl.  © Collage: Screenshots/Facebook/Richard Presson & Leah Presson

"Leah is a very great person and she always wanted to be TikTok famous," her father Richard Presson told NewsNation.

Yet that very ambition now appears to be costing the 15-year-old her life.

Leah tried the "Benadryl challenge," where teenagers typically film themselves taking an overdose of the allergy medication to experience a high.

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According to her father, Leah had participated in the challenge several times before.

After her latest attempt, the teenager was rushed to the hospital with severe seizures and cardiac arrest.

After multiple examinations, doctors found "no brain activity" in Leah. She is currently in intensive care.

Richard Presson shared a video on his Facebook page that shows his daughter motionless and connected to several machines. Around her, several family members are standing, singing for Leah.

Even though his daughter was declared brain dead, he and his wife still cling to hope for a miracle. After her death, the family plans to donate her organs because Leah "wanted to save lives."

The fact that Leah now lies lifeless in the hospital because of a social media challenge breaks her father's heart, and he is now urging kids and teens to be educated on the dangers of such trends so that something so tragic never happens again.

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshots/Facebook/Richard Presson & Leah Presson

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