Teen left with lungs of 80-year-old life-long smoker after vaping for six months

A teenager’s lungs were comparable to those of an 80-year-old life-long smoker after he vaped for just six months.

Ewan Fisher spent weeks in intensive care after his lungs failed the night before his first GCSE exam.

The then 16-year-old had to breathe through artificial lungs in order to survive.

He developed a condition called hypersensitivity pneumonitis, which was triggered by something he was breathing in impacting his immune system.

As a result, Ewan battled through 10 weeks in hospital as doctors worked hard to save his life.

And even though he recovered enough to return home, his life has changed forever.

The Nottingham-based teenager has been left with the lungs of someone four times his age – and even gets out of breath when walking up stairs.

Ewan, who is now 19-years-old, had aspired to be a heavyweight boxer.

But after his severe health scare, he admits his 65-year-old grandfather, who has smoked for 40 years, if fitter than him.

The teenager has also put on five stone since going into hospital and suffers with mental health issues.

Ewan said: “They tried telling me that I’d make a full recovery but it’s nearly four years on and I still really struggle.

“They said my lungs would make a full recovery within two years but it’s been a lot longer and I wouldn’t even say they’re at 60 per cent.”

Ewan added: “I used to be really healthy. I used to run every night and I can’t do anything any more. When it’s hot it messes with my lungs. I’m on steroids to help them cope.

“I can’t run, I really struggle up hills. It’s ruined all my joints. My life’s changed massively.

“My granddad is fitter than me and he’s 65. When I was in hospital they said I had the lungs of an 80-year-old life-long smoker and I’d only vaped for five or six months.”

The teen first hit headlines last December when horrifying pictures of him in intensive care surfaced.

Since leaving hospital, he has just finished a Level 3 BTEC in business and finance and hopes to undertake training to become an accountant in the future.

When he’s not studying, Ewan travels around the country talking to school kids about the dangers of vaping.

Ewan admits “it was easy” to buy cigarettes and e-cigarettes when we was underage.

He also worries that the vaping sweet flavours can be “enticing” to children.

The teen said: “The flavours are really addictive. When I went into the hospital they took my vape and I was vaping blue flush (blackberry flavour) and I had a rhubarb and custard one too.

“It’s that sort of stuff that got me addicted. Those sweet flavours are addictive and they entice young people.

“If you can get sweet flavorus like coca-cola it attracts young people. Every flavour is out there – even cookies and cream.”

Ewan also believes the high strength vapes sold in America – which contain two and a half times more nicotine than EU rules allow for – would cause “mayhem” in the UK.

He said: “I wasn’t even vaping the high nicotine stuff – I was 6mg of nicotine. I tried the higher ones and it was making me choke. I was about 16 and I’d just started vaping and I took a hit of my mates ones and I was choking for ages.

“If those high-strength vapes came over here it would cause mayhem.”

This view is backed by vape expert Jim Kang, who runs American firm vaporsolo.com.

He said: “The US’ high-strength vapes have been blamed on our public health crisis among high school kids

“It’s obvious that firms are targeting kids with these sweet flavours and the UK government should do everything in its power to stop it having the same issues that we’ve sadly had to deal with in the States.”

Source: Read Full Article