Breanna Anderson was a smart girl. She was beautiful, popular and ambitious. She spent most of her time in her bedroom, keeping up honor roll grades in her ninth grade classes at Holly Springs High School and dreaming of a future in fashion design.

That’s largely why her parents, Susan and Jay Anderson, never imagined the events of March 22.

That evening, Jay found Breanna unconscious in her room, a scarf around her neck. She had been playing “the choking game,” a seriously dangerous practice of asphyxiation that more kids are experimenting with to get high, show off or chase a near-death experience.

“She went upstairs to get changed,” Susan said of the Sunday night, much like any other. The Andersons had just picked Breanna up at a friend’s house. “She was going to come down for dinner.”

By the time Jay found Breanna, she was already gone, the second local teen in recent months to accidentally die by a “game” many parents don’t know to warn them about.

Mere weeks later — still reeling from devastation — Susan and Jay are telling every parent and child within the sound of their voices their story. They’re starting a Web site and canvassing local schools to get the word out, all while parenting their five other children and dealing with grief no sibling — or parent — should have to face.

“If I spend my last breath saving someone else’s child, I’ll do it,” Jay said.

The story the Andersons want to tell is simple: This can happen to anyone’s child, and parents need to know about it.

The smart kids’ high

The choking game is not new. According to GASP (Games Adolescents Shouldn’t Play), a global nonprofit campaign set up by affected families, it’s been going on for at least 20 years. They estimate yearly deaths in the U.S. to be between 250 and 1,000. Hard numbers aren’t available because many cases are reported as suicides.

In Breanna’s case, the Holly Springs police department’s statement said they also can’t rule out suicide because “it’s difficult to know what this person’s intent was.” For the Andersons, that classification makes their experience even more painful, because they know Breanna wasn’t trying to kill herself.

“She had a thirst for life,” Jay said, having no doubt his daughter intended to survive what she most likely considered harmless fun.

The “fun” comes from a few seconds of euphoria right before blacking out from lack of oxygen. GASP reports most kids learn it from their friends in a group setting. They choke one another, make themselves hyperventilate or use “bonds,” like ropes, belts or scarves. For some, the game becomes addictive and they start doing it alone — increasing the risk of fatality.

GASP’s Web site explains: “The plan is to release pressure at just the right time before passing out. If they pass out first, the weight of their body pulls on the ropes and they can die. There’s also the chance of seizures, stroke or injuries from a fall.”

Breanna was alone, as was Kris Marceno, the Enloe High School sophomore who died Nov. 2, having tied an electrical cord around his neck and attached it to his bunk bed.

Susan and Jay have done exhaustive research since Breanna’s accident, and talked to other parents, including Marceno’s mother. They’ve been surprised at how similar their stories have been: My kid didn’t do drugs, was involved at school and well-adjusted.

“It’s the kids who are high achievers,” Jay said. “They call it ‘the smart kids’ high.’ They only see it as, ‘we’re not doing drugs.’”

Breanna fits the profile.

“She didn’t go to parties,” Susan said. “After school, she hung out with us.”

Warning signs

The Andersons recall Breanna’s bloodshot eyes and hearing thumps coming from her bedroom. Both are red flags, according to the Center for Disease Control. Others include: headaches, disorientation, unexplained belts or scarves kept nearby, marks on the neck, wearing clothes to hide the neck, abrupt changes in personality and searching out information on strangulation.

The Andersons considered drugs as a possibility because they had never heard of the game.

“We didn’t believe she would do drugs, but because she was a teenager, it was in the back of our minds,” Susan said. “There’s no education on this out there in the schools and there needs to be.”

The Andersons are working on an educational Web site called yesyourkid.com. Marceno’s friend, Sarah Huck, a high school student in Raleigh, filmed a PSA called, “What Can You Do in 3 Minutes?” She hopes to air it on local stations and post it on Facebook and You-Tube.

Their common message: it only takes up to three minutes of oxygen deprivation to cause significant brain damage. You can kill yourself in less than four.

“I can’t even be mad at the kids who showed her,” said Jay. “They’re just babies too.”

Breanna’s presence

The Andersons plan on staying in the house where their daughter died. Jay is starting a new job in the IT field and Susan continues to be a stay-at-home mom to her other children, ranging in age from 6 months to 11 years.

“We can feel her presence here,” said Susan.

She said she shut down Breanna’s Facebook page because seeing her picture constantly was too much for now.

Jay has postponed starting his new job while the family attends counseling. Both parents said they try to keep busy and focus on the other children, who they don’t want to feel neglected — they’re grieving for their big sister, too.

“It’s a matter of time, I guess,” Jay said. “I drive and I think about her laugh. She would just laugh and laugh.”

Susan found a notebook that Breanna’s friends left at her graveside. During the interview, she decorated it with pink ribbon and let it dry out from the rain.

“I think she would like this,” she said.

The Andersons take life without Breanna one moment at a time.

“I feel gypped,” said Jay. “The devil stole my baby, that’s how I feel. This kid was going to set the world on fire.”