12-Year-Old Girl Suffers Lung Collapse And Spends Four Days In Coma Due To Excessive Vaping

A 12-year-old girl from Belfast, Northern Ireland, is sounding a serious alarm to fellow vapers, sharing her harrowing experience of battling for her life due to the habit.

Sarah Griffin, who already dealt with asthma, found herself in a critical situation when breathing difficulties prompted her hospitalization.

MARY GRIFFIN

The exacerbation of her pre-existing asthma is attributed to vaping, ultimately causing her lung to collapse.

In the UK, a recent survey discovered that 15 percent of young people aged 11 to 15 had given vaping a try this year.

Across the ocean in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated in 2022 that over 2.5 million students in middle and high schools had admitted to using e-cigarettes.

MARY GRIFFIN

Sarah, who is now warning others about the dangers of vaping, began using e-cigarettes when she was just nine years old. Despite her mother knowing about it, she found it challenging to convince Sarah to stop. 

At one point, Sarah was using a vape that allowed her to take in 4,000 puffs in just a few days, while a standard vape in the UK typically has 600 puffs.

Because she found it hard to use her inhaler as recommended, her health became even more vulnerable.

In September, she had to go to the hospital urgently, where doctors discovered that her oxygen levels were very low.

MARY GRIFFIN

A scan revealed severe damage to one of her lungs, and she had developed a serious infection. According to her mom Mary, all these factors had a huge and rapid impact on Sarah's body.

After doctors worked on Sarah for four and a half hours, she was taken to intensive care and put into a medically induced coma. This was an extremely frightening time for Mary, who feared for her daughter's life.

"There is absolutely no words to describe when you think your child is going to die," she told BBC News.

MARY GRIFFIN

Fortunately, after spending four days in a coma, Sarah was awakened and allowed to go home to continue her recovery. However, the ordeal left her with lasting damage to her lungs.

Now, she is cautioning others not to begin the addictive habit, sharing her own experience as a powerful warning.

"Don't start doing it, because once you start doing it, you don't stop doing it," she said.

"You only stop when you basically have to, when it's a life or death situation."

While Sarah is on the path to recovery, unfortunately, another young person from North Carolina didn't share the same fortune.

Earlier this year, 15-year-old Solomon Wynn had to be taken off a ventilator in the hospital after developing a severe cough a few months earlier.

Despite being given antibiotics, steroids, and inhalers, Wynn's condition did not improve, leading doctors to refer him to a pulmonologist. 

Through allergy testing and X-rays, it was discovered that Wynn had been vaping, a fact he admitted, saying his friends had taught him how to do it.

A CAT scan revealed fluid in three places around his lungs and heart. Tragically, Solomon passed away just days after celebrating his 15th birthday.