News — St. Louis

A Louisiana man who tried downplaying the seriousness of the recent Gorilla Glue incident involving Tessica Brown and her hair ended up learning the hard way after he was hospitalized for using the same permanent adhesive to stick a plastic cup to his mouth.

Brown went viral on social media when she posted a video sharing her ordeal after using the heavy-duty glue to hold down her hair – causing it to be stiff for about a month despite numerous attempts to get it off.

In an interview, Len Martin said he attempted creating the challenge – despite the company reiterating the product isn’t meant to be applied on the skin or hair – to prove Brown exaggerated the severity of the incident.

“I thought she was just playing around; I didn’t think it was that serious,” Martin said. “All these challenges going on, I thought, ‘I’ma go ahead and try it.’ And it went backwards.”

In the video on Instagram, Martin is seen applying the glue on the inner tip of a red plastic cup and going ahead to put it in his mouth to prove he can simply prevent the cup from sticking by licking it off. It, however, backfired and he ended up going to the ER to have the stuck cup removed. He described the medical procedure to remove the cup from his mouth as a “painful peeling.”

Martin also told the news outlet he was informed that if the wound doesn’t properly heal, he’ll have to undergo surgery to remove the tip of his lip. “This is not the challenge you want to try. Do not try this,” he warned.

Per the product description, the multi-purpose glue bonds materials including wood, metal, fabric, plastic, glass, among others. Its warning label also explicitly states it’s not meant to be swallowed or applied on the skin, eyes or clothing.

Martin is notoriously known for taking part in viral and bizarre challenges, including the “ice cream challenge” where people videoed themselves licking ice cream on sale at stores before putting them back in the freezers. In an interview on The Dr. Oz Show in 2020, Martin spoke about the repercussions he faced for participating in that challenge and said he does not want to send a bad impression by doing such things, reported.

The St. Louis Fire Department has honored an 11-year-old boy for his selfless act of heroism and bravery after he rescued his 22-month-old kid brother from drowning in a pond during a family outing.

According to KSDK, Jayden Groves, was among 42 people the city’s fire department honored for their heroic acts on Thursday, January 21. In a tweet narrating the incident, the fire department said Jayden and his family were at Hyde Park on August 8, 2020, when his little brother wandered off from them.

Realizing he was not around, Jayden instinctively started looking for him and later found him unconscious and unresponsive in a pond with his face down. He then jumped into the pond and dragged him out.

“I pulled him out of the water. I put him on the grass and that’s when my family, they did CPR and I ran to the fire department and got help,” Jayden told KSDK.

The firefighters who quickly responded to the scene transported Jayden’s brother to a hospital where he was treated and discharged after making a full recovery following a short stay. For his heroic act, the mayor of St. Louis, Lyda Krewson, presented him with the fire department’s Heroism Award.

“We salute Jayden Groves,” the department tweeted. “He. Is. A. True. #Hero!”

In a Facebook post, Jayden’s mother also praised him for his bravery. “My oldest son was honored today for being a hero,” she wrote. “Continue being great. If it wasn’t for you my baby wouldn’t be here today. You’re a great kid, very intelligent. Continue to stay on the right path. I’m honored to have you as a son. God is going to take you places.”

Jayden told KSDK he’s contemplating on pursuing a career as a firefighter when he grows up.