12-Year-Old Girl Put In Medically Induced Coma After Asthma Attack: 'Vaping Had Weakened Her Lungs'

"The doctors mentioned that without vaping, Sarah's lungs would have been better equipped to combat the infection," Sarah's mom Mary Griffin said

A 12-year-old girl was placed in an induced coma following lung damage attributed to vaping.

Mary Griffin of Belfast, Ireland, said her daughter Sarah began coughing before bed on a Sunday night. Initially, Griffin believed Sarah's symptoms were a result of her asthma, which is often triggered by weather changes.

“Her cough was no different from any other time, and she used her inhaler and nebulizer throughout Sunday night into Monday morning,” Griffin told Belfast Live.

The following morning, Griffin left to take her other children to school when Sarah called and told her to come back home. Griffin returned and again gave Sarah her inhaler and nebulizer, which seemed to ease her symptoms.

Related: How Dangerous Is Vaping? E-Cigarette Users 'Should Worry' About Rise in Lung Illnesses, Says Expert

Later when Griffin went to the store, Sarah called her. She was struggling to breathe and barely able to speak. That was when Sarah’s dad immediately took her to the Royal Victoria Hospital, where a nurse noted her low oxygen levels.

“She was on oxygen and was linked up to all sorts of machines,” Griffin explained to Belfast Live. “There were medical staff all around her assessing her and they said she needed to go to ICU as she was deteriorating very quickly.”

The physician presented an X-ray of Sarah's lungs to her mother, indicating one lung had sustained significant damage. This caused the other lung to overcompensate, exacerbating Sarah’s asthma. Coupled with an infection, the combined effects took a rapid toll on Sarah's body.

Once in the ICU, medical staff attended to Sarah for over four hours before placing her in an induced coma.

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“As her mum I just felt so helpless — it was a nightmare come true,” Griffin said.

The medical team continuously worked around the clock to care for Sarah. According to her mother, machines assisted Sarah's breathing and other vital functions. She would be stable one minute, and then not.

“It felt like one step forward, two steps backwards and that went on for a few days,” Griffin noted.  “At first, we really didn’t think Sarah would make it. The first time the team tried to bring Sarah out of the induced coma she was so agitated the doctors decided it was too early and they would have to induce her again.”

Related: Teens Are Calling Help Hotlines as Vaping Illness Cases Rise

Finally she was brought out of the coma. Doctors and nurses began to remove tubes, decrease her sedation and wean her off the ventilator.

Thankfully, Sarah was discharged after just a few days.

"She is a fighter and handled everything remarkably," said Griffin.

But doctors had to be honest with Griffin about the severity of her daughter's condition.

Griffin stated, "The doctors mentioned that without vaping, Sarah's lungs would have been better equipped to combat the infection. The vaping had weakened her lungs significantly. They emphasized that a delayed hospital visit could have led to a drastically different outcome, a thought I can't bear."

Sarah is now recuperating at home, though the repercussions of the incident will persist.

“For the rest of her life Sarah will be classed as a high-risk patient if she is admitted to hospital because of the effect this has had on her physically,” Griffin said.

Sarah is now under the care of the Difficult to Control Asthma Clinic at The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. Previously her asthma had been managed with just GP visits. Her energy levels have dropped significantly and she hasn't returned to her usual self, according to Griffin.

In February 2020, a 16-year-old from Michigan underwent a double-lung transplant due to this lungs being "irreparably damaged from vaping.” In December that same year, a 15-year-old died in Texas, marking Dallas County’s first death related to an E-cigarette or vaping associated lung injury (EVALI).

Fidelma Carter, the Head of Public Health at NICHS, stated, "There's a widespread misconception that vapes are harmless compared to cigarettes, which is untrue. This misleading notion prompts more young people to start vaping, assuming it's risk-free.”

Carter continued by saying, “Much like with tobacco in the past, the long-term health effects of vaping are still unknown."

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