A young woman thought she was dying. 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.
Then, his vaping pleasure 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 about eight days. Her family was warned that she could stay there for at least three months.
The doctors were apparently not sure what had caused all his health problems. But when her mother talked about her vaping habit a scan of her chest was done.
Specialists came to the diagnosis of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), a severe form of life-threatening respiratory failure. Her lungs could no longer supply her body with enough oxygen.
Amanda is discharged from the hospital after two weeks, but her life and finances are mortgaged. She can’t work, and surround herself with 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 vows never to vape again in her life.
