Teen Girl Left With “No Brain Activity” After Viral Social Media Challenge

A 15-year-old Oklahoma girl is in intensive care after allegedly taking part in a dangerous viral social media trend involving Benadryl.

Leah Presson reportedly participated in the so-called “Benadryl Challenge,” a trend that involves taking large amounts of the over-the-counter allergy medication in an attempt to get high, according to NewsNation.

After taking part in the challenge, Leah suffered seizures and cardiac arrest, leaving her with “no brain activity,” according to reports.

She is currently hospitalized at Integris Health Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, where she has remained for several days.

Leah’s father, Richard Presson, told ABC8 News that the family first thought her seizures might be connected to her history of asthma.

But when he arrived at the hospital, the reality of the situation became devastatingly clear.

“I was met by the chaplain, and they said, ‘We need to pray,’” Richard said.

Doctors later performed multiple tests that showed Leah had no brain activity, he said.

Richard said Leah had previously participated in the dangerous trend, but he is still holding onto hope.

“I don’t even want to think about a funeral because I feel like there’s still hope and everybody’s like, giving up too soon,” he said. “I believe in miracles, that she’s definitely a miracle baby.”

Federal health officials have warned for years about the dangers of taking too much diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl.

In an October 2020 warning, the FDA said taking higher-than-recommended doses of the medication can lead to serious heart problems, seizures, coma or death.

TikTok stated that content promoting dangerous behavior that could cause serious injury violates its Community Guidelines and is removed from the platform.

The company said it does not show videos of known dangerous challenges in search results. Instead, users are directed to TikTok’s Online Challenges Safety Center, which was developed with guidance from youth safety experts, an adolescent development doctor and a behavioral scientist who specializes in risk prevention.

TikTok also said searches for “Benadryl Challenge” have redirected users to its Community Guidelines and substance support resources for several years.

YouTube also said it has strict, long-standing policies banning content that encourages dangerous challenges that could lead to serious injury or death, as well as content promoting the abuse of non-regulated substances.

As officials continue warning families about the deadly risk, Leah’s loved ones are now facing the heartbreaking reality of what happened.

Richard said his daughter has always wanted to help others.

“She’s been a giver her whole life,” he told NewsNation. “She’s wanted to save lives and stuff like that. We went to donate her organs so she could save up to 90 other lives with her small little body.”

Now, he wants other parents to talk to their children before another family faces the same nightmare.

“I just want everybody to be aware of where they can educate their kids,” Richard told ABC8 News. “But these challenges are just silly, and they need to be educated so it doesn’t happen again.”