“12-Year-Old Girl with Lung Damage Urges Against Vaping”
A 12-year-old girl, who endured a collapsed lung and spent four days in a medically induced coma, is now passionately advocating against the use of vaping among children.
Sarah Griffin, a young girl with asthma, was a heavy vaper until she was rushed to the hospital due to severe breathing issues a month ago, leaving her mother, Mary, in fear of losing her daughter.
READ:Horizon Reinstates Hospital Mask Rules in Anticipation of COVID Surge
12-year-old girl
The UK government has taken action by announcing plans to curb the marketing and sale of vapes aimed at children, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak emphasizing that these measures are crucial to combat the rising trend of youth vaping. These proposals, which are open for public consultation for the next eight weeks, aim to make vapes less colorful and appealing to children.
During the Labour Party conference, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting pledged that a Labour government would take a strong stance against vaping companies that target children with enticing flavors such as ‘rainbow burst.’
Sarah Griffin’s room in her Belfast home is typical of a 12-year-old girl’s, adorned with makeup, perfume, hair straighteners, and childhood cuddly toys. However, it was also the place where Sarah used to hide her vapes, even resorting to cutting holes in the carpet to conceal them from her mother’s sight.
Sarah’s vaping journey began at the tender age of nine, and her mother, Mary, tried everything to stop her, from searching her belongings to confiscating her phone, but none of these efforts proved successful. By summer, Sarah was consuming a 4,000-puff vape (a standard vape contains 600 puffs) in just a few days. She would start her day and end it with the vape, even sleeping with it on her pillow.
Despite laws prohibiting the sale of vapes to those under 18, Sarah managed to obtain vapes over the counter and became addicted to the nicotine rush.
Sarah’s asthma and her struggle with using her preventative inhaler put her at risk. In early September, a head cold compounded by her vaping created a “perfect storm,” according to Dr. Dara O’Donoghue, a consultant respiratory pediatrician at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. An X-ray revealed that only one of her lungs was functioning correctly, and she was unresponsive to treatment.
Within hours, Sarah was admitted to the intensive care unit and subsequently placed in a medically induced coma, with the hope of stabilizing her condition. For her mother, Mary, it was a heart-wrenching experience. “There are absolutely no words to describe when you think your child is going to die.”
After four days, Sarah was slowly brought out of the coma and is now in the process of recovery. However, she has been left with permanent lung damage. Her mother describes her lung exercises as something you’d expect an 80-year-old to do, not a 12-year-old.
Mary is using their traumatic experience to raise awareness, saying, “People, open your eyes because this is happening all around, and possibly to your child as well. No matter what you’re thinking, people like to think their kids aren’t doing these things, but the reality is very, very different.”
Sarah also hopes that sharing her story will awaken others her age to the dangers of vaping. Her message is clear, “Don’t start doing it, because once you start doing it, you don’t stop doing it. You only stop when you basically have to, when it’s a life or death situation.”
Dr. O’Donoghue emphasizes the urgency of addressing youth vaping as a “healthcare emergency,” as the healthcare problems associated with vaping are only beginning to emerge.
Recent statistics reveal that one in five children aged 11-17 have tried vaping, which is three times as many as in 2020. Vaping among younger children is also on the rise, with nearly one in ten 11- to 15-year-olds using vapes, according to a 2021 survey.
Fidelma Carter from the charity Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke, reports that 70% of young vapers do so regularly. She emphasizes the need to challenge misconceptions and raise awareness of the impact of vaping on health and wellbeing.
The government has initiated a UK-wide consultation on proposals to curb vaping among young people. These measures include restricting vape flavors and descriptions to make them less attractive to children, keeping vapes out of children’s sight in stores, regulating vape packaging, exploring price increases for vapes, and considering restrictions on disposable vapes due to their connection with the rise in youth vaping and environmental harm.
12-year-old girl Sarah Woolnough from the charity Asthma + Lung UK calls for restrictions on vape marketing to prevent targeting children, especially through the sale of disposable vapes with enticing packaging and flavors.
While vaping may help smokers quit tobacco, England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, emphasizes that marketing vapes to children is unacceptable. He also notes that vaping is less dangerous than smoking.
In conclusion, 12-year-old girl Sarah Griffin’s story serves as a poignant reminder of the urgent need to address the growing issue of youth vaping and the importance of regulating this industry to protect the health and wellbeing of children.
