12 year old Irish girl’s secret vaping journey turns lungs into an 80 year old’s

A 12 year old girl from Northern Ireland secretly started vaping at the tender age of nine, leading to severe illness and a near death experience. Her lungs’ ability to function was comparable to an 80 year old’s due to the extensive damage.

In recent years, e-cigarettes have gained popularity, initially advertised as a safer alternative to traditional smoking and a tool to help quit smoking. However, they have become a trend, mostly due to the misconception that they’re cool, smokeable, and not harmful to health.

But is vaping truly harmless? A report by the BBC tells a shocking story of a 12 year old girl from Belfast, Northern Ireland, suffering from severe asthma and coughing, leading to her hospitalisation last month. The cause? Vaping since the age of nine.

The girl, named Sarah, had been secretly using e-cigarettes since she was nine, using her pocket money to buy them without her parents’ knowledge. Despite being caught and asked to quit, she continued to vape, steadily increasing her consumption. She reached a staggering 4000 puffs in a few days (an e-cigarette usually contains about 600 puffs).

Sarah vaped all day and night until one day in September when she fell ill. She experienced breathlessness and was rushed to the hospital, where she was placed on a respirator and admitted to the ICU. An X-ray revealed severe lung damage, with only one lung still functioning.

After four full days of intensive treatment, her condition improved, but the damage to her lungs was permanent. She is currently undergoing physiotherapy, reported KhaoSod.

Sarah’s mother warned other parents not to let their children get involved with e-cigarettes.

“She’s 12 years old, but she’s like an 80 year old, requiring the kind of physiotherapy older people need.”

Recent statistics show that one in five children aged 11 to 17 can access e-cigarettes, a threefold increase from 2020. This is a problem many countries worldwide are facing and urgently need to address.