An Alabama teenager and his family are warning about the dangers of a viral social media trend after he suffered third-degree burns when a microwaved sensory toy exploded.
Eli Blackmon, now 13, was 11 when he saw videos on TikTok showing people putting NeeDoh squishy toys in the microwave in order to soften them.
The NeeDoh, a sensory toy similar to a stress ball, is described on the companys website as a “gratifying super soft, super stretchy dough filled groovy glob.”
“I thought it was harmless because an adult tried it and nothing happened,” he told Fox News Digital this week.
“When I took it out, my older sister held it for a few minutes, then I was playing with it. As soon as I squeezed it, it burst and the hot gel exploded onto my neck, chest and hands.”
The hot gel caused third-degree burns on the boys neck and chest.
“At first I was just feeling frantic because I wasnt sure what was going on because he was just screaming and not communicating,” the teens mother, Fallon Blackmon, told Fox News Digital.
“My husband is a fire medic and I work in emergency call taking, so I had a little knowledge of how serious it was. That obviously didnt keep me from panicking on the inside.”
She was not aware of this trend before her , she said.
“If I was aware, we would have had a conversation about not doing it.”
Eli Blackmon recalled feeling extreme pain after the injury.
“I thought I was going to die. I kept telling my parents, I dont want to die, Im sorry, and I that I loved them.”
Blackmon was transported by ambulance to the emergency department at the local , and was later sent to the burn unit for wound care and debridement.
“With how severe the burn was, they would typically recommend skin grafts, but they wouldnt consider it for him because of the risks to his airway,” his mother said.
Blackmon had weekly visits with the burn unit for four months, during which the doctors scraped off dead skin and performed wound care.
“This was done with no or numbing, so all his follow-up appointments were very painful,” Fallon Blackmon said.
“Once the wound started to heal and the scarring began, they had to do chemical burns because he was developing granulation tissue.”
The teen also developed a rash from the bandages, which quickly turned into a staph infection.
“Another issue was that the burn was pulling fluids from his body, and this caused severe lower for months,” his mother said.
Blackmon, who is a jiu-jitsu athlete, missed months of training and competing due to the injury. The family also faced thousands of dollars worth of hospital bills, doctor bills and wound care supplies over the four-month care period.
Now, the teen and his mother aim to help prevent other families from going through the same ordeal.
“If you purchase these types of toys, please just mention this trend and not to do it,” she urged parents. “Even if they dont have social media, kids in school are hearing it from other kids.”
Today, Blackmon attends to his scar each day so that it doesnt cause any issues with neck mobility.
“I have to do stretches and moisturize and massage it daily,” he said.
“It hasnt really changed my confidence because all my friends and family are very supportive and tell me my scar is cool.”
To other kids who may be thinking about participating in this social media trend, Blackmons advice is simple: “Dont do it! Its stupid! It causes so much pain and other problem
