Mother, 30, Left With Lungs Of 80-Year-Old After Vaping 'Fried Her Lungs Like Chicken Wings'

Hannah Roth, from Newport, Tennessee, first noticed something was off when she heard a 'popping' sound while breathing.

This happened after she had been vaping daily for four years.

Hannah picked up vaping during lockdown Kennedy News and Media

Ms. Roth had never smoked before. 

She started vaping as a 'bad habit' during the stressful pandemic lockdown, and it quickly became a routine, with her using the device 'every hour of the day.'

Last month, the 30-year-old developed a high fever of 104°F (40°C).

Coupled with the 'popping' sound, this prompted her to seek medical attention.

The mother of two was shocked when doctors diagnosed her with pneumonia, specifically caused by vaping.

The 30-year-old pictured vaping, which she would do every hour of the day Kennedy News and Media

Inhaling oily substances from the e-liquid in vapes can trigger an inflammatory response in the lungs, leading to pneumonia.

Scans showed her lungs looked like those of an elderly person or someone who had smoked for ten years.

The doctor threw her menthol vape in the trash and warned she would 'die' if she continued vaping.

Ms. Roth recalled: "The doctor told me if I kept using the vapes I wouldn't be able to breathe. It was quite scary as a mother.

"I knew I couldn't vape again as I've got two kids to take care of."

A scan of Hannah's lungs when she was suffering from pneumonia Kennedy News and Media

The doctor also told Ms. Roth that her lungs looked like those of "someone much older," or a long-term smoker.

"I was really mad at myself because I had no idea that vaping could do that.

"The doctor told me 'every time that you're hitting that vape, that vapor is going into your lungs and it's like frying hot chicken in there.'

"The intensity of it was frying my lungs. That's why it was making a popping sound when I was breathing."

Initially, Ms. Roth was misdiagnosed with the flu.

Doctors told the mum if she continued, she would "die" Kennedy News and Media

But a week later, she visited the emergency department in Scott County, where doctors found she had pneumonia, an infection that inflames air sacs in the lungs.

Ms. Roth explained: "I started vaping during the Covid pandemic. The stress of being stuck in the house led me to pick up on a bad habit one night.

"I just got addicted to it. Last month, I got sick. I was at work and started getting cold chills and I really wasn't feeling good.

"I thought I may have bronchitis because my chest hurt really bad. That went on for a few days and then I went to the doctors and they said I had the flu and gave me medicine."

When her symptoms didn't improve, she returned to the hospital with her mother.

Hannah has vowed to stay away from vapes to look after her two sons (pictured) Kennedy News and Media

"[That's when] they came back and said I had an obstruction in my right lung. They said it was pneumonia. 

"It looks like a tree with branches, it's called 'tree budding' and it's basically the deterioration of your lung.

"It's not supposed to happen unless you're a really heavy smoker."

Now, Ms. Roth has sworn off vaping to care for her seven and ten-year-old sons and hopes to warn others to quit vaping.

Ms. Roth shared: "I've been vape-free ever since I went to the hospital, and my lungs aren't making the popping sound anymore.

"The doctor said if I stop vaping, my lungs will be able to heal as long as I don't vape anymore."

Though she still craves vaping, she tries to chew gum instead.

"My advice would be just don't vape, don't pick it up and hit it.

"Even if you think you have control over it, sometimes you just don't."