A mom from Henderson, Nevada urged parents to restrict young people’s access to vapes and e-cigarettes as she recalled the day a doctor had to explain her 17-year-old daughter’s medical status. The girl had been diagnosed with ‘popcorn lung’ caused by vaping.
The girl called her mother for help
As reported by The Daily Mail, Christie Martin recalled the story of when she received a call from her 17-year-old daughter, Brianne Cullen, who was panicked about not being able to breathe.
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The mother then rushed her daughter to the ER who provided her with oxygen and medication, and conducted an X-ray.
Brianne was diagnosed with ‘popcorn lung’
Following examinations, the 17-year-old was diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans, a health condition also known as ‘popcorn lung’. This condition is uncommon and causes irreversible damage to the lungs.
‘Popcorn lung’ is caused by built-up scar tissue that blocks the flow of air in and out of the lungs, causing breathing difficulties.
Vaping was the root cause
The cause of this diagnosis for Brianne was that she had started secretly vaping since she was 14 years old, and three years of continuous vaping caused irreversible damage to her lungs.
Christie recalled the day Brianne was rushed to the hospital, saying, “[Brianne] went to cheer sick, she had a cough and a sore throat. She was lifting up these kids, tumbling, it’s all very straining.”
The mom credited cheer for saving the girl’s life
“She called me all of a sudden and said she can’t catch her breath. I couldn’t understand her, she kept saying ‘I can’t breathe’, it was the scariest thing,” the mom recalled.
She then went on to say that cheer saved the girl’s life, “Cheer saved her life because the exertion that you put out during cheer practice on top of being sick, she couldn’t breathe.”
But the doctor had to have a conversation
Christie also spoke about the moment the doctor had to break the news about the irreversible damage, saying, “The doctor came in and said, we need to have a very serious conversation.”
“I didn’t expect the news she gave me, that it was popcorn lungs that’s permanent and children are dying from it. […] We still don’t know if there will be long term effects,” she added.
Brianne was given an inhaler
The doctors at St. Rose Dominican Hospital gave Brianne an inhaler as she struggled to catch her breath after three full years of vaping.
“We don’t know the status of her lungs now, I was an absolute mess at the ER that night,” the mother said.
Christie was struggling to believe the news
“They told me she should be able to make a full recovery because we caught it so early, but it can also cause problems like cancer in the future. I thought I failed as a mother,” Christie reflected.
“Smoking takes years to show its effect and your lungs can heal from it, but popcorn lung is irreversible,” she said, adding, “It took a deadly diagnosis for her to stop.”
Christie is now warning parents of smoking
The mother now warns parents and urges them to stop any young person’s access to vapes or e-cigarettes.
“We need to work together to take these things off the market,” Christie said.” This is meant to be a cautionary tale to not let your kids vape no matter what. I hope to God they ban them, it’s worse than smoking.”