A family in Alabama is raising serious alarms following a harrowing incident where their son sustained severe, life-altering injuries from a popular social media trend. Thirteen-year-old Eli Blackmon, then 11, experienced third-degree burns to his neck, chest, and hands after attempting to microwave a NeeDoh, a squishy stress toy, a practice he saw in a video on TikTok. The incident has prompted his family to speak out, urging parents and children to exercise extreme caution with online challenges.
"I thought I was going to die. I kept telling my parents, ‘I don’t want to die, I’m sorry,’ and I that I loved them." — Eli Blackmon, Burn Victim
The dangerous trend, which involves heating the NeeDoh toy in a microwave to supposedly make it softer, caught Eli's attention through a TikTok video. He observed an adult successfully performing the trick without apparent harm, leading him to believe it was safe. "I thought it was harmless because an adult tried it and nothing happened," Eli recounted to Fox News Digital. After his sister briefly handled the heated toy, Eli took his turn, an action that irrevocably changed his life.
"As soon as I squeezed it, it burst and the hot gel exploded onto my neck, chest and hands," Eli described the horrific moment. The immediate aftermath was marked by intense pain and panic. His mother, Fallon Blackmon, rushed to her son's screams, initially unable to comprehend the unfolding disaster. Despite her professional background in handling emergency calls and her husband's experience as a fire medic, the shock was profound. "I had a little knowledge of how serious it was. That obviously didn’t keep me from panicking on the inside," Fallon Blackmon stated. The family had been entirely unaware of this specific microwave trend prior to the incident.
Overwhelmed by the pain and fear, young Eli believed he was facing death. "I thought I was going to die. I kept telling my parents, ‘I don’t want to die, I’m sorry,’ and I that I loved them," he shared. An ambulance swiftly transported him to a local children's hospital, from where he was transferred to a specialized burn unit. There, medical teams initiated an intensive regimen of wound care and debridement. Skin grafts, a common treatment for such severe burns, were deemed too risky due to the proximity to his airway, according to his mother.
For four consecutive months, Eli endured weekly visits to the burn unit. During these appointments, doctors meticulously removed dead skin and treated his wounds, a process Fallon Blackmon emphasized was performed "with no pain meds or numbing, so all his follow-up appointments were very painful." The path to recovery was fraught with complications. Granulation tissue developed around the scar, necessitating additional chemical burns to manage it. Furthermore, bandages caused severe skin irritation, leading to a staph infection. The trauma also impacted his digestive system, with fluid loss from the injury triggering gastrointestinal problems that persisted for months.
The physical and emotional toll extended to Eli's budding competitive jiu-jitsu career, which was brought to an abrupt halt for months during his recovery. Concurrently, the family grappled with the significant financial burden of the ordeal, facing thousands of dollars in medical bills, doctor visits, and essential wound care supplies.
Choosing to transform their painful experience into a cautionary tale, Eli and his mother have decided to share their story publicly. Fallon Blackmon is actively encouraging parents to initiate conversations about online safety with their children, regardless of whether they have active social media accounts. "Even if they don’t have social media, kids in school are hearing it from other kids," she noted.
Eli's daily routine now includes stretching, moisturizing, and massaging the scarred area to maintain neck mobility. Despite the visible injury, he maintains a positive outlook, bolstered by the unwavering support of his friends and family. "It hasn’t really changed my confidence because all my friends and family are very supportive and tell me my scar is cool," he said. He now issues a direct warning to his peers: "Don’t do it! It’s stupid! It causes so much pain and other problems." His caution extends beyond this single challenge, advising against "any trends on TikTok, even if you think they are harmless. Talk to your parents."
TikTok has acknowledged the incident, with a spokesperson for TikTok USDS Joint Venture informing Fox News Digital that content promoting dangerous behavior violates the platform’s Community Guidelines. The company affirmed its policy of removing such videos as soon as they are identified.
