Woman issued ‘balloons’ drug warning days before death

A young woman posted a warning about the dangers of using “balloons”, or nitrous oxide, on social media days before her death.

Use of the substance, also known as laughing gas, soared during the coronavirus pandemic, especially among 16-24-year-olds. It is often bought in small metal canisters, released into balloons and then inhaled.

Amy Leonard, 20, from Bolton, posted a video of herself on Facebook in the back of an ambulance on 29 September, describing how her use of balloons had led to her hospitalisation.

She said in the post that balloons “can starve your brain of oxygen, lead to long-term nerve damage with repeated use and put serious strain on your heart and lungs.”

She said her calves were “mashed up” and she had been left with a “failing” nervous system and struggling to walk.

“It’s easy to think it’s just a quick buzz, but the risks are very real and often underestimated.

“Put your balloons down because you’ll only end up like me.”

Ms Leonard’s mother Catrina Proctor said her daughter became increasingly poorly and died in hospital days later on 2 October.

An official cause of death has not yet been established but Greater Manchester Police have been made aware of her death and have referred it to the coroner.

Possession of nitrous oxide for its “psychoactive effects” was made a criminal offence in England and Wales in 2023.

Intensive, frequent use of laughing gas can lead to vitamin B12 deficiency which can cause neurological damage, according to a government report.

Ms Proctor said her daughter was “the most happy, bubbly person” who would “make everyone feel welcome”.

She said did not know her daughter had been using nitrous oxide until she was hospitalised.

“I wasn’t with Amy at the time she was rushed into hospital,” she said.

“And when I went there to ask what had happened she said she had been taking the balloons because she was depressed and that it took everything away from her.”

Ms Proctor said her daughter was “brave” to share her struggle so publicly before she died, and that she wanted to continue raising awareness of the risks of using the substance.

“We want to go to schools and colleges – we want the nitrous oxide warning out there to let people know how serious it is and what it can do to your body,” she said.

“As a mother you should not be burying your child.”

According to DrugWatch organisation, symptoms of B12 deficiency from nitrous oxide use include a feeling of tingling, crawling or itching of the skin.

They can also include numbness in the hands and legs, a staggering uncoordinated walk, lower limb weakness and muscle stiffness or twitching.

Ms Proctor said: “Just look out for those signs and if the children are showing those signs take them straight to the hospital.”