Health
With a Friend in Trump, the Tobacco Industry Secures a Lucrative Win
Over lunch at his golf club in Jupiter, Fla., on the first Saturday of May, President Trump got an earful from a group of tobacco executives and lobbyists unhappy with the way the Food and Drug Administration was regulating their industry.
Eventually Mr. Trump had heard enough. He interrupted the conversation to call Dr. Marty Makary, the F.D.A. commissioner.
No answer.
Furious, the president then dialed Dr. Makary’s boss, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and another top health official, Dr. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He complained to them about the F.D.A.’s regulation of e-cigarettes, according to three people briefed on the meeting who were not authorized to discuss it.
The message was received. Less than one week later, the executives got what they wanted.
On Friday, the F.D.A. issued new guidance that could pave the way for major tobacco companies to begin selling flavored vapes and to snare a chunk of the $6 billion e-cigarette market away from illegal Chinese competitors. The new policy bypassed the F.D.A.’s regular rule-making process.
In the intervening week, Dr. Makary continued to argue against approving flavored vapes as support from Mr. Kennedy and others collapsed around him. Health and Human Services Department staff began to draft the new plan, according to two people familiar with the events.
On Tuesday, Dr. Makary resigned, telling associates he could not in good conscience remain the head of an agency that backed such a policy.
Though there is no definitive evidence linking the new guidance to donations or lobbying, the episode represented a clear pivot in the federal government’s longtime approach to the tobacco industry.
Since the 1990s, when states extracted vast payments and other concessions from the major cigarette companies in a nationwide legal settlement, Big Tobacco has been in retreat. Cigarette sales have plummeted, and regulations have mounted as consumers and administrations from both parties embraced public health consensus about the dangers of smoking and nicotine addiction.
Mr. Trump’s first administration initially continued the trend, proposing further restrictions on cigarettes and moving to outlaw flavored vapes over concerns that their rising popularity threatened the health of a generation of adolescents.
But since then, Mr. Trump has enthusiastically welcomed the financial support of the tobacco industry and has courted e-cigarette users as a political constituency.
The new vaping guidance highlights Mr. Trump’s willingness to use his executive authority to prioritize the causes of major corporate donors over public health concerns, taxpayer interests and the judgment of experts, sometimes including those in his own administration.
The president has developed a close relationship with tobacco companies including Altria and Reynolds American, which have donated millions of dollars to his political groups and projects, including his proposed White House ballroom. Their executives attended the lunch at the president’s golf club.
The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the F.D.A., referred requests for comment to the White House.
Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, said in a statement that Mr. Trump has pushed to expand access to vapes to help Americans trying to quit smoking.
“The only guiding factor behind the Trump administration’s health policymaking is gold standard science,” Mr. Desai said.
Reynolds American and Altria did not respond to questions about their lobbying or the conversation at the lunch.
It was attended by Jeff Raborn, a top executive at Reynolds, and Phil Park and Todd Walker of Altria, according to the people familiar with the meeting. Also attending were Brian Ballard and Rich Haselwood, lobbyists for the firm Ballard Partners, which represents Reynolds and helped marshal a sophisticated and expensive influence campaign that culminated in the new vaping guidance. Mr. Ballard is a top fund-raiser for Mr. Trump. Mr. Haselwood had been an in-house lobbyist at Reynolds before joining Ballard Partners this year.
A spokesman for Ballard Partners declined to comment.
While public health experts consider e-cigarettes a less harmful alternative to tobacco-burning cigarettes, the new guidance circumvents a scientific review process the F.D.A. had previously defended up to the Supreme Court. The disregarded procedures were meant to ensure approval of only those products shown in studies to help cigarette smokers transition to vapes without attracting a new generation of nicotine users.
The guidance also could allow higher nicotine levels in nicotine pouches. It includes a pledge to prioritize efforts to stop the import of illegal foreign vapes, an idea that has bipartisan support in Congress.
Taken together, the policy changes could help companies like Altria and Reynolds gain market share considered central to the survival of the industry.
The market for vapes and nicotine pouches, like Zyn, is about 30 million people in the United States, on par with the number of cigarette smokers. While the nicotine pouch market is rapidly growing, cigarettes still account for about $50.8 billion, or nearly 70 percent of the annual tobacco sales in the United States, according to a Goldman Sachs research report. Vape sales have lagged amid competition from illicit products.
In recent years, the F.D.A. has moved glacially to approve e-cigarettes, authorizing only those in tobacco or menthol flavors, including some sold by Reynolds and Altria. Unapproved Chinese vapes have poured into the United States, feeding a thriving illicit market with flavors like peach slush and watermelon ice. Last year, industry executives have said, illicit fruit-flavored vapes made up 60 percent of the e-cigarette market.
When Mr. Trump mounted his bid to return to the White House, some in the tobacco industry went all in, hoping he would loosen regulations on vapes and abandon plans by the Biden administration to ban menthol cigarettes and crack down on other cigarette sales.
Mr. Trump in some ways makes for an unlikely savior for the tobacco industry. He has never smoked, but he pledged during his 2024 campaign to “save vaping again.”
Through a subsidiary, Reynolds, which is the biggest seller of menthol cigarettes, donated $10 million to a super PAC backing Mr. Trump’s campaign, according to campaign finance filings. There is no public record of the subsidiary donating to groups supporting Mr. Biden or the campaign of former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Mr. Ballard, whose firm has been paid more than $4.4 million by Reynolds since the beginning of 2017, arranged for Mr. Trump to have dinner during the campaign with Reynolds executives in New York, according to a person familiar with the interactions. The executives urged Mr. Trump to oppose the menthol cigarette ban and expressed concern about Chinese vapes.
Reynolds executives including Mr. Raborn and Mr. Haselwood were such a presence around the campaign that Mr. Trump took to calling them “my tobacco guys,” according to the person familiar with the interactions and a book coauthored by a New York Times reporter and published last year.
When Mr. Trump won, the rest of the industry jockeyed to show support.
Altria donated $1 million to his inaugural committee; the Vapor Technology Association donated $1.25 million; and a subsidiary of Philip Morris donated $500,000.
On Mr. Trump’s second full day in office, his administration withdrew the proposed ban on menthol cigarettes, an initiative the Biden administration had already mostly abandoned. Mr. Trump’s team also set aside a Biden-era proposal to sharply restrict nicotine in cigarettes, an effort meant to speed the transition away from a product known to be deadly.
In applauding the withdrawal of the menthol ban, Billy Gifford, the chief executive of Altria, told investors on an April 2025 earnings call that “we’re hopeful that that activity and momentum continues.”
The courtship intensified.
Reynolds pitched in another $3 million to a different Trump-backed super PAC, while Altria and Juul each donated $1 million.
And Reynolds and Altria each donated to the effort to raise private funds to build a new White House ballroom. Mr. Raborn of Reynolds and Mr. Walker of Altria were invited to a dinner at the White House in October for donors who gave $2.5 million or more, as was Mr. Ballard.
Tadeu Marroco, the chief executive of British American Tobacco, which owns Reynolds American, predicted to investors earlier this year that the Trump administration would clamp down on illegal vapes, saying “it’s very encouraging, the signs that the new administration is giving to address that.”
The companies’ lobbying strategy also has reached into the states, where they are pushing for so-called “registry laws” — of which there are now more than a dozen including in Florida, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Many of those laws restrict e-cigarette sales to only vapes on a list from the F.D.A.
The guidance released last week said it would create such a list.
Sheryl Gay Stolberg contributed reporting.
America 250: Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger
Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger is a former U.S. Air Force officer and commercial airline pilot. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, he served as a fighter pilot, flight leader, and training officer. After leaving active duty in 1980, he became an airline pilot with Pacific Southwest Airlines, later part of US Airways. On January 15, 2009, Sullenberger safely landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River after a bird strike caused both engines to lose thrust. All 155 people on board survived, in what became known as the ‘Miracle on the Hudson.’ In 2021, he was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization, a role he held until 2022.
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One of the nation’s most famous aviators and great heroes has announced a heartbreaking diagnosis.
Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III, the pilot who saved 155 people after making an emergency landing in New York’s Hudson River in what became known as “The Miracle on the Hudson,” shared in a public statement that he was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
“It is early stage,” he revealed. “For now, this means a name may not come easily to me, I forget a story I have recently told, or I don’t sleep as well, but I am in the beginning of this long journey.”
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Sullenberger, 75, shared with People magazine that he’s had trouble recalling details within the last year, despite having a photographic memory. He received his official diagnosis in August 2025.
U.S. Airways Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III prepares to testify before the House Judiciary Committee’s Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee on Capitol Hill in December 2009. He was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. (Chip Somodevilla/Reuters)
The pilot became a celebrity when he carried out the emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on Jan. 15, 2009, after colliding with a flock of geese that resulted in engine failure. Everyone onboard survived.
Alzheimer’s, the most common type of dementia, impacts more than seven million people in the U.S. over the age of 65, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
“It is the unwanted visitor at the door.”
“My doctor, Dr. Gil Rabinovici with UCSF Medical Center, has opened my eyes to the prevalence of Alzheimer’s,” Sullenberger said in his statement. “This disease, he has told me, spares no age group and impacts millions of people around the world. It is the unwanted visitor at the door.”
Sullenberger’s wife, Lorrie, shared with People that the diagnosis has not dimmed his strong demeanor.
Capt. Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger is pictured with wife Lorrie Sullenberger in 2018. She said the diagnosis has not dimmed his strong demeanor. (Dave Kotinsky/FilmMagic)
“Just as he was the same steady person before and after Flight 1549, he is the same steady person now, before and after this diagnosis,” she said. “That strength and steadiness is guiding us as a family.”
“We’re supporting him on this journey that we now walk with so many other families. Though the future is uncertain, we continue to live our lives, have hope and find joy in the everyday.”
THE BEST TIME TO TALK TO YOUR PARENTS ABOUT SENIOR CARE — BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE
Flight 1549 first officer Capt. Jeff Skiles also commented on the news of his friend’s diagnosis.
“Sully is larger than life, even to me,” Skiles told People. “He’s somebody I’ve always looked up to, and I think a lot of other people do, too. Hopefully, it’s going to progress slowly and he’s going to be able to create the kind of life going forward that he would be proud of.”
Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger attends the “Sully” New York premiere at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, in New York City on Sept. 6, 2016. (Jim Spellman/WireImage)
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel noted that Sullenberger had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the Miracle on the Hudson, which could have increased his risk.
“Age 75 is relatively late-onset,” he told Fox News Digital. “PTSD doubles the risk of developing Alzheimer’s because of changing brain chemistry and structure and sleep disruption.”
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Sullenberger reflected on how he has been a staunch advocate for travel safety, often addressing roadblocks in the aviation industry, fighting for increased pilot training and care.
Now, Capt. Sully, a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, plans to continue serving the public by focusing on raising Alzheimer’s awareness.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, meaning the symptoms gradually worsen over time. (iStock)
“This new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service,” he said. “And the answer is to speak up. It is my hope that by sharing this, other families living in the shadows with this disease will feel they, too, can step forward.”
“So many people told us after Flight 1549, that the outcome gave them hope,” he went on. “Lorrie, my incredible partner of 37 years, says we can all use a little of that hope right now.”
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Though the soon-to-be National Aviation Hall of Fame inductee’s memory of the past may be impacted, Sullenberger said his diagnosis “will not prevent me from looking forward to and appreciating our future. I will navigate this chapter with my wonderful family by my side.”
Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III testifies before the House Judiciary Committee’s Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. He represented the U.S. Airline Pilots Association and spoke about airline bankruptcy and employee vulnerability. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Over the years, when people would ask about the successful outcome of Flight 1549, I would say that ‘courage can be contagious,’ and on that day it helped everyone band together to get everyone off that airplane successfully,” he said.
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“Now we need that courage to battle this disease. I am now part of a larger community with many of you, and we will be courageous together.”
What to know about Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia affecting memory, thinking and behavior, as described by the Alzheimer’s Association. It accounts for 60% to 80% of all dementia cases.
It is a progressive disease, meaning the symptoms gradually worsen over time. The memory loss is usually mild in early stages, but late-stage Alzheimer’s can include loss of ability to carry a conversation and respond to environmental factors.
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While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, there are treatments that can help slow symptoms. Newer, more effective therapies are on the horizon, experts say.
Certain lifestyle changes, including mental and physical activity, have been shown to help prevent the disease.
Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist, brain imaging doctor and founder of Amen Clinics in California, previously spoke with Fox News Digital about Alzheimer’s risk and management.
“Alzheimer’s starts in your brain decades before you have any symptoms,” he said. “So, a 59-year-old woman I diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease likely had negative changes in her brain in her 20s.”
“It’s really never too early to think about protecting your brain and your mind.”
“I will navigate this chapter with my wonderful family by my side.”
Amen listed 11 major protective factors that can help ward off Alzheimer’s. These include promoting blood flow, reducing inflammation, and avoiding toxins like alcohol and drugs. Improving mental health, boosting immunity, getting adequate sleep and keeping diet and weight in check can also help reduce risk.
The doctor also recommends staying informed of hereditary diseases, maintaining a healthy hormonal balance and keeping the brain active in retirement.
Sullenberger’s 2009 bestselling autobiography, “Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters,” co-written with Jeffrey Zaslow, was adapted into a 2016 film, “Sully,” directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks.
Sen Lindsey Graham’s sudden death caused by aortic dissection
Preliminary reports reveal South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham died at 71 from an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, breaks down the fatal condition and the emergency response timeline at Graham’s home. Additionally, Dr. Siegel warns about a spike in Cyclosporiasis cases across 31 states, offering crucial safety tips for prevention.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sudden death has thrown new attention on a rare but often deadly cardiovascular emergency known as aortic dissection.
The cause of death was identified as an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a statement released by Graham’s office on Sunday, citing preliminary findings from the District of Columbia’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
“It occurs when the layers of the aorta (the body’s largest artery) come apart and the inner one tears,” Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel, who did not treat Graham, told Fox News Digital.
HEART CONDITION TIED TO LINDSEY GRAHAM’S DEATH CAN STRIKE WITHOUT WARNING — WHAT TO KNOW
“It can come on in minutes or days and may be hard to recognize,” added the doctor, noting that while dissections can evolve over time, symptoms often appear suddenly.
Graham, 71, is not the only notable figure to have died from an aortic dissection.
Sen. Lindsey Graham’s cause of death was ruled an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a statement released by Graham’s office on Sunday. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Below are three other celebrities and public officials whose deaths were linked to the same life-threatening condition.
1. John Ritter
Actor John Ritter, best known for his role in the hit sitcom “Three’s Company,” died from an aortic dissection on Sept. 11, 2003.
The John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health (JRF) said the actor was taken to the hospital after experiencing symptoms later identified as a type A aortic dissection. The nonprofit, founded in his honor to fund research and raise awareness for the condition, later said Graham’s death brought “needed attention” to the condition.
John Ritter is seen at CBS TV City on Jan. 5, 1978, in Los Angeles, California. (Tom Wargacki/WireImage)
Type A dissections involve the ascending (upper) aorta near the heart, which typically require emergency surgery.
At the time of his death, Ritter was filming the sitcom “8 Simple Rules… for Dating My Teenage Daughter,” co-starring Kaley Cuoco.
MEDICAL EXAMINER RELEASES PRELIMINARY FINDINGS IN LINDSEY GRAHAM’S DEATH AS DEATH CERTIFICATE REMAINS PENDING
The actor was initially treated for a presumed heart attack, but passed away that night as his condition worsened.
In a press release, the JRF extended its condolences to Graham’s family.
“Deaths due to aortic dissections are preventable if individuals at risk are identified and properly treated.”
“These deaths underscore that aortic dissections are not a rare cause of death,” Meredith Ford O’Neal, CEO of the foundation, shared with Fox News Digital. “Deaths due to aortic dissections are preventable if individuals at risk are identified and properly treated.”
“We hope this moment encourages people to learn the warning signs of aortic dissection, which includes an increased risk for family members of individuals who have had an aortic dissection.”
2. Rep. Doug LaMalfa
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., died on Jan. 6, 2026, at age 65 from complications of an aortic dissection, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. Cardiomegaly (an enlarged heart) was listed as another significant condition, and his death was ruled natural.
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., died on Jan. 6, 2026, at age 65 from complications of an aortic dissection. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
LaMalfa, who represented California’s 1st Congressional District, was taken into emergency surgery but passed away during the procedure, according to a statement from the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
A month later, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to People that his cause of death was complications of an aortic dissection. Cardiomegaly, or an enlarged heart, was also listed as a significant condition.
3. Alan Thicke
“Growing Pains” actor Alan Thicke died from an aortic dissection on Dec. 13, 2016, at the age of 69.
Thicke reportedly experienced chest pain while playing hockey with his son and was taken to the hospital.
“Growing Pains” actor Alan Thicke died from an aortic dissection on Dec. 13, 2016, at the age of 69. (Brian To/FilmMagic)
The Los Angeles County coroner later determined that Thicke died from a ruptured aorta caused by a type A aortic dissection, according to ABC News.
Raising awareness
In a 2016 HCA Healthcare article, Nashville-based heart surgeon Dr. Grayson Wheatley reflected on Thicke’s “unfortunate” case.
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“I am sharing with you my expert thoughts based on limited information about Mr. Thicke’s case, but in light of an extensive career of treating hundreds of patients with aortic dissections, I can connect the dots in Mr. Thicke’s case from patterns that have emerged from treating similar patients with aortic dissections,” he said.
Alan Thicke, pictured with son Robin Thicke in 2013, reportedly experienced chest pain while playing hockey with his son and was taken to the hospital before his death. (Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images)
Chest pain is often the first sign of a sudden tear or rip in the aorta, which can develop “within a few heartbeats,” according to Wheatley.
“The pain associated with an aortic dissection is extreme,” he said. “My patients describe it as so intense and sudden that it drops them to their knees. They literally fall to the ground and feel an intense tearing or ripping in their mid-upper back and/or chest.”
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Once the dissection occurs, it becomes a “race against time” as the condition worsens, the doctor said.
Dr. Neel Mansukhani, a vascular surgeon at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, explained why this condition can become life-threatening so quickly.
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“The aorta is the main blood vessel that comes off of the heart, and it runs like a pipe through your body,” he told Fox News Digital. “Smaller blood vessels branch off to go to all your internal organs, arms, legs and brain.”
“The aorta itself has three layers,” the surgeon went on. “A tear in the lining of the aorta causes those layers to separate. It’s similar to paint peeling off a wall. And that brings a lot of consequences depending on where the tear is.”
“The aorta is the main blood vessel that comes off of the heart, and it runs like a pipe through your body,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. “Smaller blood vessels branch off to go to all your internal organs, arms, legs and brain.” (iStock)
An enlarged aorta or damage to the vessel wall from cardiovascular disease can increase the likelihood of an aortic dissection, although age and high blood pressure remain the leading risk factors, Mansukhani said.
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“As we get older, blood vessels can weaken, and over time the constant pressure of blood flow can make the wall of the aorta more vulnerable to a dissection,” he said.
In addition to Graham (left), actors John Ritter and Alan Thicke both died after experiencing an aortic dissection. (Getty Images)
Type A dissections are “immediately life-threatening,” as they are “right by the heart,” according to the doctor.
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“It’s an emergency that usually needs surgery within 24 hours if a patient can tolerate that,” he said. “A type B dissection is located further down from the heart. It can also be life-threatening, but does not usually need immediate surgery.”
Although an aortic dissection often strikes without warning, maintaining cardiovascular health and monitoring conditions such as high blood pressure can help lower the risk, Mansukhani advised.
Health
Microwaved squishy toy explodes onto boy’s face and chest amid viral trend, causing horrific burns
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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 company’s website as a “gratifying super soft, super stretchy dough filled groovy glob.”
DANGEROUS TIKTOK TREND LEAVES BOY BADLY BURNED AS DOCTORS ISSUE WARNING
“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.”
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. (Fallon Blackmon)
The hot gel caused third-degree burns on the boy’s neck and chest.
“At first I was just feeling frantic because I wasn’t sure what was going on because he was just screaming and not communicating,” the teen’s mother, Fallon Blackmon, told Fox News Digital.
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“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 didn’t keep me from panicking on the inside.”
She was not aware of this trend before her child’s injury, she said.
“If I was aware, we would have had a conversation about not doing it.”
Eli Blackmon had weekly visits with the burn unit for four months, during which the doctors scraped off dead skin and performed wound care. (Fallon Blackmon)
Eli Blackmon recalled feeling extreme pain after the injury.
“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.”
Blackmon was transported by ambulance to the emergency department at the local children’s hospital, and was later sent to the burn unit for wound care and debridement.
‘TANMAXXING’ TREND COULD COME AT A DANGEROUS COST, SKIN CANCER EXPERTS WARN
“With how severe the burn was, they would typically recommend skin grafts, but they wouldn’t 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.
Blackmon, who is a jiu-jitsu athlete, missed months of training and competing due to the injury. (Fallon Blackmon)
“This was done with no pain meds 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.”
“Don’t do it! It’s stupid! It causes so much pain.”
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 GI issues for months,” his mother said.
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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.
“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,” Blackmon recalled about the incident. (Fallon Blackmon)
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 don’t have social media, kids in school are hearing it from other kids.”
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Today, Blackmon attends to his scar each day so that it doesn’t cause any issues with neck mobility.
“I have to do stretches and moisturize and massage it daily,” he said.
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“It hasn’t 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, Blackmon’s advice is simple: “Don’t do it! It’s stupid! It causes so much pain and other problems.”
The NeeDoh, a sensory toy similar to a stress ball, is described on the company’s website as a “gratifying super soft, super stretchy dough filled groovy glob.” (Whitney Grubb)
“Actually, just don’t do any trends on TikTok, even if you think they are harmless,” he added. “Talk to your parents.”
Blackmon’s mother agreed, noting that sharing the story and receiving negative criticism from adults online would be worth preventing another child from being “scarred for life” and experiencing something so traumatic.
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A spokesperson for TikTok USDS Joint Venture previously shared with Fox News Digital that any content that “promotes dangerous behavior” and may lead to serious injury is considered a violation of the platform’s Community Guidelines. The company claims that it immediately removes these videos when they are found.
Fox News Digital reached out to the manufacturer of NeeDoh requesting comment.
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