A NORTH Belfast mum has spoken out about the dangers of vaping after her 12-year-old daughter was admitted to intensive care.
Mum Mary Griffin described the ordeal as a nightmare when her daughter Sarah was taken to hospital and placed in an induced coma after an asthma attack and vaping left her daughter unable to breathe.
In recent weeks we have been reporting on the growing health risks to young people who are vaping.
Mary is now speaking out and asking people to listen to the Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS) campaign which is raising awareness around the dangers of vaping.
Sarah, who has asthma, was taken to hospital after ringing her mum from school complaining of not being able to breathe. Hospital staff who assessed Sarah said she had suffered a severe asthma attack which had damaged one of her lungs but it had been compounded by vaping.
Sarah has now recovered but will be classed as high risk if she ever enters hospital again
Mary described the ordeal Sarah faced in hospital.
"Sarah also had an infection, so everything combined had a massive impact on her body, extremely quickly. When we got to ICU the team worked on Sarah for four-and-a-half hours before having to put her into an induced coma.
"There were tubes, wires, and machines everywhere – it was heart-breaking to see her like that.
“As her mum I just felt so helpless. It was a nightmare come true."
Mary said hospital staff treating Sarah had explained that because she had been vaping, her body was less able to fight off the infection.
"Vaping had left her lungs very weak. The doctors said if Sarah had come to hospital any later the outcome could have been entirely different."
Sarah is now at home and recovering but will now be classed as a high-risk patient for the rest of her life if she ever enters hospital again.
Mary and Sarah pictured here are now speaking out about the dangers of vaping
Mary has spoken out in support of NICHRS' campaign and wants young people and parents to be more aware about the risks of vaping.
Mary said: “What Sarah has experienced could easily happen to other young people, and we don’t want that which is why we’re sharing our story and supporting NICHS’s vaping campaign.
"I have seen children as young as seven and eight vaping, which is just horrendous. Sarah hadn’t been vaping heavily but that, coupled with her asthma it was such a dangerous combination.
"Young people are attracted to the bright colours and flavours of vapes – they might smell and taste sweet, but people need to know about the potential dangers associated with them."
Fidelma Carter from NICHS said the biggest misunderstand was that vapes were harmless compared to traditional cigarettes.
"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.
"We have launched our vaping awareness campaign in response to the misunderstandings around the potential health risks associated with vaping and the huge increase in the number of teenagers using vapes."
