His habit of vaping sends him to intensive care

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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.  

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, the pleasure she derived from vaping turned into a nightmare. In October 2019, she had to go to the emergency room, because nothing was 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 was placed on life support.

“The last thing I remember was someone handing me a form and said I had to sign it if I wanted to live,” she recalls. It was a consent form for her to be put on life support. 

Amanda was on life support for about eight days . Her family have been warned that she may stay there for at least three months.

Doctors, it seems, weren't sure what had caused all his ailments. But when her mother talked about her vaping, a scan of her chest was done. 

Specialists came to a diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a severe form of life-threatening respiratory failure. Her lungs could no longer supply enough oxygen to her body.

Amanda was discharged from hospital after two weeks, but her life was 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 has suffered huge financial losses. Her insurance covered her hospitalization costs, but she got into debt.

She also experienced mental health problems. “I was depressed, but happy to be alive.” 

Her health is now better and she swears she will never vape again in her life.