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COPE -- Smart, funny, inquisitive, well-mannered, Christian, kind, considerate -- those are just some of the words family and friends used to describe 17-year-old Leighton Rael, who died Wednesday, June 7 at his home after purposefully inhaling butane.
"He was just special," his aunt, Debbie Fralix of Lugoff, said. She recalled a story about Leighton finding a $1 bill in the Wal-Mart parking lot when he was younger. Mom Loxie Rael said it was "finders, keepers," but Leighton would have none of that. He wanted to return it to its rightful owner.
"He said, 'We have to take this back. Somebody had a dollar and they lost it,'" Loxie said.
The cashier told him he had to keep it because no one would claim the dollar, his mom said. So Leighton kept it until he went to a church camp and placed it in the offering plate.
"It had bothered him so much about that dollar," Loxie said. "He figured God knew who it belonged to."
As good as those memories are, the events of June 7 will forever be etched in Loxie Rael's mind.
Leighton and his younger sister Krysten had just returned from vacation bible school at St. George Baptist Church, and Loxie and husband Richard were watching a movie. It was about 9 p.m., and mom and dad invited Leighton to join them.
After eating some leftover food from the family's meal at a local restaurant -- Loxie said that meal was a blessing because the family rarely ate together -- Leighton left the room.
Minutes later, Loxie heard strange, loud noises, and she and her husband found themselves breaking into the bathroom.
"I just heard a deep breath, a gasp," through the locked door, she said. When they opened the door, they found their son clinging to the wall.
"Leighton was up on the wall, trying to get his breath," she said.
Their immediate thoughts were he was having either an asthma attack -- he had not had one in some time -- or a seizure. Loxie called 911 while Richard attempted to give his son CPR.
It was then Richard discovered blue stuff on Leighton's shirt and a tin butane container in the bathtub.
"It was ice-cold," Loxie said. "It was butane fuel with a tube sticking out of it." She told the 911 operator she had no idea what it was for but that her husband found it in the bathroom.
Loxie begged for EMS personnel to hurry to the scene.
"His heart was real faint," she said. And Leighton's breathing was labored, taking in gasps every 10 or so seconds. "I was just praying to God not to take him, but praying that His will would be done."
In the end, first responders and The Regional Medical Center personnel couldn't save him. Leighton Rael became a victim of Sudden Sniffing Death.
"He just went on to be with the Lord," Loxie said.
The effects of inhalants
Commonly referred to as air blast, Amy, bang, bolt, boppers, buzz bomb, climax, hardware, huff, kick, laughing gas, nitrates, ozone, poppers, rush, snappers, Texas shoe shine and whippets, inhalants are one of the easiest drugs to purchase and one of the hardest to diagnose as being abused.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and SAMHSA National Clearinghouse for Alcohol & Drug Information, inhalants can affect nearly every part of the body and cause sudden death.
Huffing is the breathing in of toxic fumes from a variety of sources including, but not limited to, correction fluid, cleaning supplies, gasoline, lighter fluid, Freon, computer cleaning fluid, glue, shoe polish, ether, paint solvents, butane, propane, nitrous oxide, spray paint and other aerosol sprays. The instant "high" that's achieved can cause irreversible brain damage or other physical harm before the user even realizes what's happening.
The U.S. Department of Justice's "Intelligence Briefing: Huffing -- The Abuse of Inhalants" said abusers begin by inhaling deeply and then take several subsequent breaths.
Chemicals can be huffed directly from the source or indirectly from a bag or saturated cloth.
Inhalants starve the body of oxygen, forcing the heart to beat irregularly and more rapidly, and users can experience anything from nosebleeds to liver, kidney and lung problems. It can even destroy their sense of smell and hearing. Chronic use can also lead to muscle wasting and reduced muscle tone and strength, according to the USDHHS Website.
Death by suffocation, choking or a heart attack is also a side effect that may await users, whether it's their first or 100th time using.
"They (inhalant users) tend to have more brain problems," said Billy Heckle, an addictions counselor and pharmacist with the William J. McCord Adolescent Treatment Facility. "People think because it's not an illegal drug that it's okay to do it. Inhalants do a lot more damage than you think."
He said inhaling volatile substances is probably the quickest way to inject poison into a body and, in addition to heart and lung problems, depression and slowed mental capacity can also occur.
"It's a serious problem because of the damage it does," Heckle said. "All those things can happen, but it's not a red flag to most people."
Underlying conditions, such as asthma or a heart problem, make the effects inhalants have on the body that much more dangerous.
"It's an accident waiting to happen," he said. "It affects every organ in the body. You create many, many problems that may not show up now. That is what you have to look at, the (long-term) quality of life."
The problem with inhalants is because kids don't see them as drugs, mainly due to the fact that the products can be purchased by anyone at anytime, they're not seen as dangerous or potentially lethal but rather as an easy way to get a "rush" and not get in trouble, Heckle said.
"The problem with inhalants is it doesn't get you in a lot of legal trouble," he said. "There's any number of things that are out there that are perfectly legal for people to buy. It is a concern."
Heckle said many of the health effects aren't immediate, leaving most young people to view huffing as a harmless high.
"The attitude of the user makes a pretty big difference," he said. "It's difficult because sometimes if you use a small amount of drugs, there's nothing to slap you in the face."
Another problem with inhalants is the warning signs are so obscure.
"You can look for signs, but they can point to anything," Heckle said. "Chemical smells are a pretty good indicator, and changes in behavior is a big thing. You won't see a whole lot of stuff with inhalants because they (the effects) don't last very long. They (users) hide it well."
Other signs of inhalant abuse include slurred speech; drunk, dizzy or dazed appearance; unusual breath odor; paint stains on body, face or clothing; hidden empty spray paint or solvent containers; chemical-soaked rags or clothing; nausea or loss of appetite; sores or rash around the nose or mouth; mood swings; disinterest about looks; unusual weight loss or gain; problems at school; red eyes and runny nose. Many of these, however, would have to be observed immediately following inhalation.
"Generally, it's very, very obvious when you are intoxicated on an inhalant," Heckle said. "You get really, really dumb."
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported in its "Characteristics of Recent Adolescent Inhalant Initiates," published in 2006, that between the years 2002-2004, an average of 598,000 youth ages 12 to 17 years annually reported to having tried inhalants for the first time in the 12 months prior to the survey.
The same survey reported the inhalants of choice by the questioned group included glue, shoe polish, toluene, gasoline, lighter fluid, nitrous oxide or "whippets" and spray paints.
What can parents do?
"I just have no idea how long it had been going on," Loxie Rael said of her son's inhalant abuse. "I remember seeing it (a butane can) on the floor in his room a few days before," but Leighton had passed it off as fuel for a lighter for his candles and incense. She said she also recalls a distinct odor in his room one time that she and her daughter couldn't identify.
And looking back, Loxie said a wreck just two days before his death that didn't make sense should have tipped someone -- the deputy or herself -- off.
After running off Cannon Bridge Road, Leighton's vehicle crossed the center line, ran through a fence, hit an abandoned car and knocked a shed off its blocks.
"I just didn't understand that," Loxie said. The deputy on the scene told her Leighton said he was distracted by his cellphone constantly ringing.
Loxie said the deputy didn't even search his car.
"He seemed honest about it," she said of her son's testimony to the officer. "But he was scared."
Leighton left the scene and told everyone he panicked. But a witness to the accident who called Loxie on the following Monday had a little something to add to the story.
"She called me and said when she went to the car, she said, 'Son, are you okay?' and he said, 'Yeah, I'm okay. You think I did this? I didn't do this,' and she said, 'Son, you're the only one in the car,'" Loxie said. "She said he looked terrified."
"Some of his friends said they saw him Tuesday, and he said he wasn't going to do it anymore," Debbie said. "The only thing I can think is he was addicted."
It wasn't until after Leighton's death that Loxie and her family found out that users can pass out for 30-40 seconds after huffing.
"Since this has happened, some other teenagers have confessed to doing this same thing," Debbie said. "Obviously these kids don't think anything about it, driving around in the car. It sounds like it's everywhere."
Loxie said a recent conversation Leighton had with his sister is haunting.
"He told Krysten that he didn't think it would hurt him," she said. "He told her, 'Shoot, you'll probably end up doing it.' He really thought that it wasn't going to hurt him. Evidently he didn't think so, or he wouldn't have told his sister that."
"I was overprotective, but I tried to give them room," she said when discussing his friends. Loxie said when she would ask if his friends did drugs, Leighton would always say no.
Heckle said opening the lines of communication -- not just between parents and children but the entire community and youth population -- is the single most effective drug prevention tool in existence.
"That's probably the most effective thing you can do. It's important that kids know folks care enough to check on them," he said. "Watch for the signs. If they're used to making certain grades, and they fall off the table, something's wrong. Be observant."
Lt. Todd Williams of the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office said part of the problem is the publicity other drugs get versus what is known about inhalants.
"Parents know how to talk to their kids about tobacco, marijuana and alcohol because they have enough knowledge about these things, but inhalants are an informational blind spot for them," he said. "Parents are often in the dark when it comes to inhalants. Kids talk about it and practice it.
"The key to preventing inhalant use is education and parental involvement."
Loxie said there were no signs Leighton was doing anything detrimental to his body.
"Over the last year, I think he was becoming more responsible," she said. "He seemed to appreciate me more. I thought he was just growing up."
"I had no idea," Richard said. "I have a lot of paint out in the garage, and he never messed with it."
Moving on
Leighton was an active member of the youth group at St. George Baptist Church and was extremely smart, most recently making plans to pursue a career in pharmacy after completing his senior year at Edisto High School in 2007.
"He wanted a microscope, a real microscope," Loxie said. "He wanted to go into medicine. He was always scientifically minded."
And he could have done it easily, too, with the strong work ethic he displayed while employed at the House of Pizza in Bamberg.
Sandra Beck, manager at the House of Pizza, said Leighton was a great person -- bright, quiet, courteous, well-mannered and dedicated.
"He worked all the time," she said. "Whenever he was needed, he was always there. He was very courteous to customers at all times.
"It's just such a waste that he's gone. We all loved him very much."
Beck said she never saw the signs and is angered by people who assume Leighton was just another addict.
"There was a whole other person to Leighton," she said. "He was just an all-around good guy. Nobody knew. It was just something you wouldn't expect.
"But it's like his mother said, we hope his death wasn't in vain."
The Rev. Jimmy Hanf of St. George Baptist said at Loxie's request, he had some harsh words of reality for the youth attending Leighton's funeral.
"I came down pretty hard on them," he said. "You never know. For a one or two minute high, you could die. We have to talk to our kids now to let them know that this stuff is dangerous. Why chance your life with a minute or two minutes of pleasure?"
Loxie and Richard said they will continue working to make others aware of the dangers inhalants pose. As for what's getting her family through this tough ordeal?
"God, and that I know he was saved and he's in heaven," Loxie said.
"I hope nobody ever has to go through what we're going through now," Richard said. "Use this as an example for other children so they will not do this."
Debbie is just saddened by the whole ordeal.
"Leighton just had such a bright future," she said. "If Leighton didn't know, as smart as he was, I fear for those other kids who just don't know what it could do."
Leighton's paternal grandmother, Gloria Rael of Belen, N.M., said, "It's a shame that Leighton had to be the example for other people not to do this. Even if one child gets saved from this, then it's for God's glory. It will all be worth it."
For more information on inhalant use, call the OCSO at 803-531-4647 or the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition at 1-800-269-4237.
T&D Staff Writer Wendy Jeffcoat can be reached at wjeffcoat@timesanddemocrat.com and 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.