By Yvan Magana
Milwaukee, Wis. — 17 year old from Detroit, Michigan received a double lung transplant due to vaping related lung injuries. Although the substance that this teenager was smoking is still unknown, many believe that he was smoking THC. Research states vaping THC has resulted in 86% of lung damages.
There are chemicals within the THC e-liquids that are the reasoning behind all these illnesses but the one that has caused the most damage is Vitamin E acetate. These chemicals have also been found in vapes that contain just nicotine. On September 6th, the teenager was first taken to a hospital and was admitted for what doctors believed at the time to be pneumonia. As his health declined, he was then transferred to Henry Ford Hospital on October 3rd where he was put on the lung transplant list. The patient was pushed to the top of the list because of his age and because the only way for him to get better and to live was to have this procedure done. Without the lung transplant, the teenage boy would have died in a matter of days, doctors reported. Many people wait years for a new lung and many die before getting a new chance. Before the surgery, doctors performed a CT scan on the patient and found a very interesting image. His lung had “disappeared” because they were not visible due to him not having any air in them. The procedure was performed a month ago on October 15th. 2,051 people have gotten sick while 40 have died from vaping related injuries as of November 5th. This teenager’s name has not been released and will not be released to protect his privacy but doctors have made comments of his health and he is now doing fine. He will need to be on several medications so that his body will not reject his new lungs. The teenager will eventually be able to go back to his previous daily routines but first needs to recover in a rehabilitation center. He will be going through a long recovery but his family his thankful that doctors were able to help him and keep him alive.
Usually one only has seven years to live after a lung transplant but doctors hope that he can live longer than that. Doctors urge everyone to not try vaping or if one already has or does, to quit.
They say that one who exposes themselves to vaping which then results in a lung injury; feels like there are chemicals burn inside of their body These injuries and all the damage that is being caused to the lungs can be prevented. The vaping crisis needs to come to an end.
