Mom whose son survived deadly Blue Whale challenge wants to raise awareness of it
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Featured Image Credit: Olga Tkachenko
**Warning: Contains descriptions of attempted suicide and threatening behaviour you may find upsetting**
A mom whose son survived the deadly Blue Whale challenge has spoken out and is now raising awareness surrounding the dangerous trend.
The Blue Whale Challenge is said to have begun in Russia in 2015, and is typically aimed at teenagers.
The 'challenge' sets 50 tasks over 50 days, and is believed to have spread to countries such as Ukraine and the US.
According to Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership, the Blue Whale Challenge 'encourages children and young people to undergo a series of 50 challenges that culminate in them taking their own lives'.
"Refusal to comply with the tasks can be met with threats by the administrators to harm the individual and their family.
"The administer states he can hack IP addresses so knows where the family home is," the document continues.
One mom who has felt the devastating impact of the challenge is Olga Tkachenko from Ukraine, whose son Mykyta Kovalchuk, 10, jumped from a six-storey balcony in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv last September while carrying out the last Blue Whale challenge.
Mykyta had been sent home from school earlier that day after he was feeling unwell, so Olga left him for a short while at their apartment to buy some medicine to make him feel a little better.
But while mom was away, the 10-year-old reportedly drank a lot of alcohol, subsequently heading to the balcony and climbing down to the windowsill.
Reports say he drew a heart on the glass of a balcony window before stepping out.
When his mom returned home, she was met with police officers, who told her Mykyta was in critical condition in hospital.
Despite falling 66ft, the young boy avoided fatal damage to his internal organs or bones, plus his spinal cord was undamaged.
However, Mykyta did spend two months in hospital, half of which was in intensive care due to his 'severe condition'.
Nine months on, Mykyta is doing physically well, but Olga is warning 'his abusers will hunt him again and that his life is still in danger'.
Speaking on local TV, she said: "He was a well-behaved child and good at studying. He had everything he needed. I could not understand how it could happen to him and to my family.
"[...] His abusers will hunt him again and that his life is still in danger. I live in constant anxiety and fear for my son's life. I fear they will find him again to get the job done this time.
"I want to warn parents about such situations that break the lives and destinies of many."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
Topics: Community, Health, Life, World News, Mental Health
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