A young woman thought she was going to die. She had difficulty breathing, severe pain in her lower back, and felt like her heart was pounding out of her chest. Her vaping habit landed her in intensive care.
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Amanda Stelzer, 34, started vaping seven years ago, like her friends. The flavors she loved gave her a “buzz”. She consumed an average of one cartridge of vaping liquid daily.
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Then, the pleasure she derived from vaping turned into a nightmare. In October 2019, she has to go to the emergency room, because nothing is going right. “I was crying because I was in so much pain. I was so scared,” says the young cashier from Delaware, Ohio.
Within 24 hours of arriving at the hospital, Amanda is placed on life support.
“The last thing I remember was someone handing me a form and telling me I had to sign it if I wanted to live,” she recalls. It was a consent form for him to be put on life support.
Amanda was on life support for regarding eight days. Her family was warned that she might stay there for at least three months.
The doctors, it seems, weren’t sure what had caused all of his ailments. But when her mother talked regarding her vaping, a scan of his chest was done.
Specialists came to a diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a severe form of life-threatening respiratory failure. Her lungs might no longer supply her body with enough oxygen.
Amanda is discharged from the hospital following two weeks, but her life is mortgaged along with her finances. She can’t work or be around people who smoke or vape for six months while her lungs heal.
Amanda suffered huge financial losses. Her insurance covered her hospitalization costs, but she got into debt.
She also experienced mental health issues. “I was depressed, but happy to be alive.”
Her health is now better and she swears she will never vape once more in her life.
