“A story no parent should have to tell” – A heartbroken father warns parents about the dangers of video gaming addiction.
Last year, Stanley Greening lost his 24-year-old son Louis O’Neill to a video gaming addiction. Following his son’s death, the grieving father decided to warn other parents and their youngsters about the catastrophic consequences of the inactivity that comes along with spending hours playing video games.
As per Newsner, Mr. Greening wrote an emotional Facebook post, saying:
“My son, my dear boy, Louis, has gone. Not from the evil virus but because of it. His young life, barely begun, still trying to find his feet, just torn away. The devastation… after seeing my dear boy go like that, I am in a living hell.”
The devastated father opened up about how his son was furloughed from his position as a soccer coach at Center Parcs in Hertfordshire, England. Following his discharge, he became trapped in a spiral of inactivity caused by spending too many long hours playing video games to escape the depressing reality.
“After being furloughed he took to his gaming world to escape. Caught up in a virtual world he became less active, so easily done. Hours fly by when absorbed by the screen, I’ve done it countless times myself. But no one, and I mean no one, ever in a million years would have predicted a blood clot. And just like that, it ripped my son away and I died inside along with him.”
It was revealed that while remaining inactive, Louis had developed a blood clot, leading to the cause of his tragic death – Deep-vein thrombosis(DVT).
Mr. Greening believes his son’s death could have been avoided if he simply moved around a little more.
Just two weeks before his passing, Louis complained about feeling a sharp pain in his leg. At the time, medics were unaware it was a blood clot and told him it was probably caused by food poisoning.
The 24-year-old football player passed away on June 3, 2020. Doctors later said they believe the reason for his death was indeed DVT, caused by long hours of inactivity and restricted blood flow.
In an attempt to spread awareness about the medical condition that took his son’s life, Mr. Greening wrote:
“Who is warning youngsters? Who is warning anyone, of any age? No one!! So I am. My son will live on, I shall continue to spread this warning in his name. This terrible thing was preventable had he or we known such risks. It is very rare in such circumstances but speaking to medical professionals I discover there has been a number of cases in youngsters during this lockdown. Like many, I associate it with older people and something we are warned about on planes!
As more and more of us are working from home it is likely you are not getting out your chair as much as you need. Stand up, walk around, and please, warn your kids. If I can prevent one loss in my son’s name then that’s one bright light that will shine on LOUIS. So STAND UP, for Louis.”
Louis’ family has set up a StandUpForLouis campaign to alert people about DVT and how it can “kill young, fit, healthy people.”
Meanwhile, a JustGiving fundraiser with the same name also aims to educate people about the severe risks of thrombosis. The page says:
“Sitting for 90 minutes slows the blood flow behind the knee by 50%, so despite being a previously fit and healthy young man who pre-lockdown had played football, coached and visited the gym regularly, Louis was now at risk. If only Louis had stood up and got more exercise this tragedy may well have been prevented, but seated at home, avoiding going out even for walks, became his silent killer.”
