A father was filled with terror as he rushed his daughter to the hospital after her lung ruptured due to vaping. Mark Blight was overcome with emotion, crying uncontrollably when he received a call informing him that his 17-year-old daughter Kyla had fainted and turned blue during a sleepover on the morning of May 11.
Kyla had believed her vaping habit was harmless until that morning when her lung collapsed. The excessive vaping had caused a small air blister, known as a pulmonary bleb, on her lungs to burst. She nearly went into cardiac arrest and had to undergo a lengthy five-and-a-half-hour surgery to remove part of her lung.
It was two more weeks before the student could come back home.
Mark shared his feelings, saying, “It was utterly terrifying for me. I cried like a baby. It was awful to witness. I stayed by her side the entire time.”
“It was life-threatening. It genuinely endangered her life because she was on the brink of cardiac arrest that Friday.
“They said she turned blue. They feared she had passed away.”
Kyla started vaping at 15, influenced by her peers, and was consuming an entire 4,000-puff vape pack each week, equivalent to smoking 400 cigarettes daily.
Initially, she believed vaping was harmless, but a recent scare prompted her to quit the habit entirely.
Reflecting on her past, Kyla said, “At 15, vaping seemed trendy among my friends. I thought it was harmless and didn’t see any harm in it.
“I used to go through a 4,000-puff vape pack every day and finish it within a week. I genuinely believed they were safe, despite seeing warnings about them. It seems many others share this misconception.
“But now, I’ve completely quit. I won’t even go near them. The experience scared me away from vaping completely.
“I was terrified. We thought we’d only be in the hospital for a few hours, but it turned into a two-week stay with surgeries and more.
“Last November, I was rushed to the hospital, thinking I was having a heart attack, but it turned out to be a lung issue due to a bleb.
“I returned in February after they said it had healed, only for my lung to collapse again weeks later.
“My dad, Mark, who is my full-time caregiver, is determined to warn other young people to ‘get rid of vapes’ because ‘it’s not worth the risk’.”
The father of nine, who lives in Egremont, Cumbria, shared his harrowing experience with his daughter Kyla: “It’s been an absolute nightmare dealing with Kyla’s situation over the past few weeks. I’m convinced vaping is the sole cause of what happened.
“She collapsed at a friend’s house, turning blue, and I got a call at 4 am. I rushed to her side and took her to the hospital.
“This time, her lung collapsed due to the hole. They had to insert a drain, and it was really tough on her because she’s scared of needles and screamed during the procedure. She was on the verge of having a cardiac arrest.
“We were swiftly transferred to Newcastle for surgery on Tuesday, and it lasted a grueling five and a half hours. She even had a seizure on the operating table.
“The surgeon mentioned these blebs that can form on the lungs. He suspects that disposable vapes are causing these blebs to burst and resulting in lung holes. It’s becoming a growing concern, and he’s performed many similar operations.”
Even young children, some as young as five, are being hospitalized due to vape-related issues such as lung collapse, with 11 cases reported in the previous year.
Vaping is rapidly gaining popularity among children, with reports indicating that the number of children who have tried vaping nearly doubled to 20% in 2023, according to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
A survey conducted by the public health charity revealed that twice as many children aged 11 to 17 are vaping compared to those who smoke cigarettes in 2023.
Toxic substances like lead and uranium found in vapes could potentially hinder brain development in teenagers.
Mark, who has been using vapes for 13 years to quit smoking, was unaware of how early his daughter Kyla had started vaping or the severity of her usage until she faced a life-threatening situation.
He commented, “People often underestimate how harmful they can be. I’ve been using them for 13 years to quit smoking and never had any issues.
“But after what happened to Kyla, it’s made me reconsider. It’s terrifying.
“For children, there should be a complete ban, especially on disposable vapes. The chemicals inside haven’t been thoroughly tested.”
“Until the government conducts tests, people will continue to use it.
“The doctor mentioned that he’s observing an increase in such cases compared to the past. He noted that many young patients are presenting with lung holes.
“I urge parents to consider the potential consequences of their children vaping. Witnessing your child go through such a traumatic experience is not worth the risk.
“Children often don’t grasp the dangers until they experience them firsthand. That’s why I shared my story on Facebook. I feel compelled to educate young children about these risks.”