A young girl was left fighting for her life after vaping ruined her chances of recovering from a life-threatening infection.
12-year-old Sarah Griffin is an asthma sufferer who ended up in a coma after suffering an infection and being unable to fight it as a result of her lungs being weakened by vaping.
The girl’s shocked mother revealed that the child was rushed to the ER after struggling to breathe. Doctors found that her oxygen levels were extremely low, and they put her in an induced coma to help her body battle her lung infection.
The girl has since been discharged from the hospital and is recovering at home after her near-death experience.
“The doctors explained if Sarah had not been vaping, she would have been in a better position to fight off the infection,” her mother, Mary, said.
“The doctors said if Sarah had have got to the hospital any later the outcome would have been entirely different. That is something I can’t even think about.”
Recalling the time her daughter was hospitalized following struggles breathing, the devastated mom added:
“There were tubes, wires, and machines everywhere — it was heartbreaking to see her like that. As her mum I just felt so helpless. It was a nightmare come true. Sarah has an older brother and two younger siblings and trying to explain to them what was happening was awful.
“They were asking if she was going to die, and I was saying, ‘Of course not,’ but in my mind I was terrified that was a real possibility.”
Sarah’s family has since spoken out and vowed to push for a change in legislation that would see young children protected from vaping devices which can be both across the UK for as little as $5 a piece. Some gadgets are also being advertised or disguised as kid-friendly and sold next to sweets.
“The biggest misunderstanding about vapes is that they are harmless compared to cigarettes,” Fidelma Carter of the Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke said.
“This is not true, and this message needs to change to prevent more young people from taking up and getting addicted to vaping because they think they are risk-free.
“The long-term health implications are unknown – just as they once were with tobacco.”
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