Vaping warning to parents after teen's lung collapses

Mark Blight rushed Kyla Blight to hospital after receiving a phone call saying she had collapsed and turned “blue” while sleeping at a friend's house.

After nearly going into cardiac arrest, the 17-year-old underwent a five-and-a-half hour surgery to remove part of her lung and spent a further two weeks in hospital before she was able to return home.

A small blister of air known as a lung bubble developed at the top of Kyla's lungs and it is believed her excessive vaping caused it to burst and her lungs to collapse.

Mark Blight rushed Kyla Blight to hospital after receiving a phone call saying she had collapsed. (Image: Kennedy News)

The student, who started vaping at just 15, thought the habit was “harmless” and that he could vape 4,000 puffs a week, which is the equivalent of 400 cigarettes.

However, Kyla swears that the ordeal “scared” her and stopped her from touching disposable vapes anymore.

Full-time carer Mark took to Facebook to publicize his daughter's “deadly” experience, urging young people to “throw out” because “it's not worth it”.

Mark, who lives in Egremont, Cumbria, said: “His lung collapsed this time because of the hole. They put a drain on him. She's a little girl who doesn't like needles. She screamed. She was about to have a heart attack. Stop.

“They rushed us to Newcastle and she had surgery on Tuesday. The operation took five and a half hours. She had a seizure on the operating table.

“I was talking to the surgeon, and he was talking about these bubbles that can form on the lungs. They think it's the disposable vapes that cause these bubbles to burst and punch a hole in your lungs. Apparently it's a big problem now .He did a lot of operations like this.

“It was terrifying for me. I cried like a baby. It was horrible to watch. I was with her the whole time.

“It was life-threatening. It really threatened her life because she was so close to cardiac arrest that Friday. They said she turned blue. They thought she was gone.

“I would say to parents, watching your child do this, you're going to experience what I went through. It's just not worth it.

“For children, they don't understand until it happens to them. That's why I wrote on my Facebook. I'm going to have to make young children aware of this.”

Kyla admitted she started using disposable vapes at the age of 15 after seeing her friends at school doing it and began using it every day, consuming 4,000 puffs per week after thinking it was “harmless”.

However, the student revealed the experience “terrified” her and opened her eyes to the dangers of using e-cigarettes which she “won't touch again”.

Kyla said: “When I was 15 it started becoming a popular thing. All my friends were doing it. I just thought it would be harmless and I would be fine.

“Every day I used all 4,000 puffs and went through them in about a week.

“Honestly, I thought they were harmless and wouldn't do anything to anyone, even though I had seen so much about it. I just feel like everyone has the same point of view .

“But now I won't touch them. I won't go near them. The situation really scared me.

“I was terrified. We went there thinking we'd only be there for a few hours, but we ended up staying there for two weeks having surgeries and stuff.”